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Brooklyn: Eilis Lacey’s relationship with “home” shifts and changes as she struggles to come to terms with the consequences of living in two places.

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https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/abroad/generation-emigration/brooklyn-a-story-that-still-resonates-with-irish-emigrants-today-1.2398870

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BROOKLYN
How Love Heals Homesickness
& A Difficult Mother

Has it really been 4 years since John Crowley and Nick Hornby's film, Brooklyn, hit the big screen? And, why is it still a movie that speaks to us and that we keep going back to? Is it because it's the versatile and talented Saorise Ronan's first major film? Or because we all know, somewhere deep inside us, our own journey away from our original homes? What is the appeal? I think it's because Brooklyn tells us so much about what can go wrong between a mother and a daughter, about a young girl's early pain, pain that persists. And, about how love can provide a new and healing home later in life. There's no question that " Home is where we start from " - and that early home has a big influence on our whole adult lives.

That truth - is the title of one of psychoanalyst, D.W. Winnicott's books. And, also, the subject at the heart of what transpires in every psychoanalyst's office: the unspoken impact our families have on how we develop. What happens to us in those environments sets the tone for the differing separation struggles we see in young people, including Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan), a young immigrant and the main character in, Brooklyn. For Eilis, an Irish girl transplanted to Brooklyn in the 1950s, the severe homesickness that settles in, after she arrives, arises out of the emotional residues of a difficult mother. Yet, finding Tony ( Emory Cohen) means finding a real home in Brooklyn and in his arms for her injured heart.

Eilis is suffocated by her mother; the only parent ( Jane Brennan) she has. Her father died long ago, leaving them, and her older sister Rose ( Fiona Glascott), alone. What kind of father he was is a mystery. What isn't - is that Eilis' mother makes both girls believe she can't live without them. They live with guilt about wanting their own lives. Is this partly the culture of a small Irish town? Maybe, but likely not. And, anyway, a needy mother imposes great difficulties for her daughters.

A needy mother falls quite short of being a "good enough" one. In his work and studies, Winnicott understood very well what makes a mother good enough. And, it isn't a total focus on her child. It means being sufficiently attentive to a child's feelings and needs. Frustration is there, of course. That's part of life. And no mother can or should be "perfect."

But, from everything we find in Brooklyn, Eilis's mother is a woman exclusively focused on her own needs. Which means there is little, if any, room in her mind for Eilis or Rose as separate from her.

Alice Miller, in her book The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search For The True Self, tells us about the devastating effects of a mother who demands sacrifice of her child's independence and personal feelings: "A child can experience her feelings only when there is somebody there who accepts her fully, understands her, and supports her. If that person is missing, if the child must risk losing the mother's love ... then she will repress emotions."

Yes, that mother is missing for Eilis - and to leave the mother she has, with her possessive demands, is an almost impossible task. Eilis does go to Brooklyn with the help of her sister, Rose. But repressed emotions, she has. And, they always result in symptoms.

Eilis's symptom is homesickness; a term used a number of times in the film. Yet, what is homesickness, really, for Eilis? The best way to understand homesickness is by calling it "separation anxiety." How could Eilis not be anxious about trying to separate from a mother who doesn't want to let her go?

Every symptom has its roots. When Eilis embarks on her transatlantic crossing, the journey is lonely and scary. Leaving is what every child must do. But, doing so is always accompanied (even in the best circumstances) with many conflicting feelings. Worse for Eilis, she knows her mother doesn't wish her well.

And so, Eilis is left with fears she must battle inside herself: fear of her mother's total rejection, of her own unconscious anger at not being supported, guilt about leaving, and confusion about whose needs are most important.

When homesickness settles in, those repressed feelings are at the root of it. Luckily, she's surrounded by caring people - Father Flood ( Jim Broadbent), Miss Fortini ( Jessica Pare) her manager at Bartocci's Department store, the girls at Mrs. Kehoe's boarding house, and Mrs. Kehoe ( Julie Waters) herself. But, especially Tony, the young Italian plumber she's fallen in love with. Yet,although she couldn't do without this support, it's not enough.

Homesickness can be intolerable. Every minute away from home feels like an eternity. The only obvious answer, it seems, is to rush back to what's familiar. Especially when the guilt about leaving home and mother are all too extreme.

It doesn't help that she has Miss Kelly, her cruel ex-boss in Ireland, in her head. You see, before Eilis left for Brooklyn, Miss Kelly ( Brid Brennan), also the town busybody, tried to shame Eilis for leaving Rose alone to care for their mother.

Eilis, of course, has her own misgivings and Miss Kelly takes residence in her mind as the voice of those self-criticisms and doubts. Such internal voices can be almost impossible to shake.For Eilis, that voice might say: "How dare I? I'm a bad uncaring daughter. How can I think of doing something entirely for myself?"

To make matters worse, behind Eilis' already-guilty thoughts is an insecure attachment, the kind Alice Miller writes about: "If I don't take care of Mother, she won't love me anymore. I'll lose her completely."

When Rose suddenly dies and she hears her mother's actual voice on the phone, Eilis's guilt and anxiety are all too real: "When your father died, I told myself I shouldn't grieve too much because I had the two of you. When you left, I said I had Rose. Now I have no one, Eilis." No one rings in Eilis's ears. If she doesn't come home.

She must return to Ireland for a while, to satisfy her mother, mourn Rose (the sister she loved and adored), and to discover who she is. At Tony's insistence (and out of his fear of losing her), Eilis secretly marries him before she goes.

Yes, Eilis is married. Yet, "home is home." Loving Tony becomes a part of what pulls Eilis between two different worlds: Ireland, the old repressive homeland that forces her to live a stifled life. Versus Brooklyn, a new world of possibility: a chance for personal growth, freedom to feel, and Tony's love.

What Home Is & What It's Not

Going back to her roots, Eilis now must sort out where she truly belongs and what she wants. That means facing what home is and what it's not. Breaking free of a difficult mother isn't easy. The familiar has its comforts. For Eilis, that means living with her feelings safely buried and unknown. Loving Tony stirs old worries about love. Will she be rejected because of who she is? Like her mother, does he care about her needs or only his own?

Back in Ireland, Eilis is quickly pulled into the already known. The whole town (we could also say, the comfort of her old familiar life) seems to conspire to keep Eilis there. Her sister's job could be hers. Her best friend Nancy ( Eileen O'Higgens) tries to entice her with a young man named Jim Farrell ( Domhnall Gleeson).

He "came along just in time for us," her mother says. That "us" is the tie that's meant to bind them. And no one knows about Tony (or how Eilis truly feels).

But, nosy conniving Miss Kelly has her sources. They've given her "the word" from America. She threatens to expose Eilis's secret. Yes, blackmail it is, yet it helps remind Eilis of something she's forgotten: "I remember how this townis."

This town is Eilis's conflict of loyalties, the urgent appeal, and manipulation of life as it was. Especially in her guilt about leaving it. It is the pressures inside her not to change; against thinking for herself, doing what she wants, figuring out what kind of life is hers. Because it all carries a terrible risk: losing what there is of her mother's love.

The Truth & Breaking Free

After much internal struggle and unhappiness during her stay in Ireland, Eilis tells her mother the truth about Tony and the life she has in Brooklyn. It's a big risk. For good reason. No, hers is not, in Winnicott's terms or anyone's, a "good enough mother." Eilis has Tony, she has love - but she does not have a mother.

In no uncertain terms, if Eilis's life isn't the life her mother wants her to have, she will hear nothing of it. And, she not only says goodnight to Eilis but a very final goodbye. She'll have the last say; turns her back and, essentially, leaves Eilis before Eilis leaves her - to return to Brooklyn the next day.

It's just as Eilis feared. She's lost her mother completely. Standing up for the life she wants, needs, and deserves takes great courage. Leaving home for the second time (especially with the loss of Rose and Rose's support) is a devastating choice for a girl whose mother has turned against her.

This rejection is not healthy. Or reasonable. It's not what a daughter needs. But, Eilis finds her strength. Having traveled already to Brooklyn and back, Eilis has the resolve and the willingness to lose her mother in order to live the life she wants. Separation, having one's own life, is, after all, one of life's major goals.

It's best to have a mother who wants and supports that. But, if not, it is possible to go it alone, especially with the love of Tony (and others in her life). By getting back on the ship to return to Brooklyn, Eilis stands up to the voice in her own mind that tells her not to. That creates guilt. In doing so, Eilis accepts all the feelings that are hers.

And, Eilis now knows without a doubt that home is with Tony. She's let herself love; she's not alone.

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BROOKLYN How Love Heals Homesickness & A Difficult Mother - Characters on the Couch

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Has it really been 4 years since John Crowley and Nick Hornby's film, Brooklyn, hit the big screen? And, why is it still a movie that speaks to us and that we keep going back to? Is it because it's the versatile and talented Saorise Ronan's first major film?

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task 2 covid closure  due Saturday next 21 March

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task 2 covid closure  due Saturday next 21 March

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question 1 on Boland's poems, click on the link once opened for marking scheme. You will see exactly how it is marked, the codes used to correct. so you must address all parts of the question in each paragraph, use strong topic sentences, remember to link each paragraph directly to the question, deal with each poem if possible, use relevant quotes.

some help. there are three elements to the question,
identifying symbols and metaphors in the poems, quote and explaining them, their effectiveness.
eg the horse a symbol of chaos all is not always ok in suburbia , the metaphor for the childs death in child of our time, our world has robbed your cradle. the natural world is a metaphor for a mothers love in this moment poem. in the war horse the flowers trampled symbolise the wars victims.
personal experirnces, motherhood, suburbia living, love marriage
penetrating truths of society- we have no empathy to those struggling, the war horse, the fear of parenthood in the pomengranate, war and violence in child of our time. love and how it diminishes its passion in the poem love.
remember this is a poet trying to balance mothehood, isolation in suburbia and motherhood. her concerns were to write about the ordinary,

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Leaving cert & Junior cert Exam Revision | Studyclix makes exams easier

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Leaving Cert and Junior Cert exam paper questions and marking schemes listed by topic. Studyclix makes exam revision and study easier

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school closure arrangements. Ive e mailed you work for this week.

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But whatever the intention, the plan soon backfired and the problem soon emerged, particularly in the studied poetry section, that students were basically learning off ONE pre-written personal response essay on each poet.

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Language Types
The way we use language changes depending on the situation. The words you use in a job interview are obviously more formal than the words you choose when chatting to your mates. If you write a fawning comment to win a competition you'll use lots of superlatives (think 'biggest', 'best', 'brightest') but for a political speech on bank debt you'll use financial terminology.

The division of Paper 1 into language categories (information, argument, persuasion, narration/description and aesthetic language) reflects the fact that we use language in different ways in different contexts. These categories aren't absolute, in fact they often overlap, but understanding the basic rules for informing, arguing, persuading, describing and narrating will make you a more discerning reader (i.e. better at comprehensions) and a more skilled writer (i.e. better at QB & composing).
Language of Information
What is it?
Writing whose main purpose is to communicate information.

Examples:
Report, leaflet, instructions, travel guide, encyclopaedia.

Layout:
The reader wants to glance at the page and select the information they are looking for instantly. Present the facts using a logical, easy to follow structure. Use headings, sub-headings and bullet points or numbering. However, if you are writing an informative essay, full prose paragraphs, rather than bullet point lists, will be expected.

Style:
Your focus needs to be on facts and statistics. Every point you make should be backed up by a specific example. If you are giving advice, it needs to be specific - think "count your daily fruit and veg intake and try to gradually increase by one a day until you reach your target" rather than the so-vague-as-to-be-almost-completely-useless "eat more healthily". You can make statistics up, but you'll have to make them sound believable. One way to do this is to name the source of the statistic - researcher, title & institution e.g. "According to research carried out by Dr. Hazel Nolan, sociology professor at Harvard University, one reason for the increase in smoking amongst teenage girls is because it is perceived as a good way to control weight gain". However, your statistic must be convincing! I once had a student write that "92% of teenage girls in Ireland are now smokers". You only need to look around you (or sniff those around you!) to know this couldn't possibly be true.

Your language must be appropriate to your audience. Reports commissioned by the government or by an organisation such as the Central Statistics Office (CSO) or the Economic & Social Research Institute (ESRI) adopt a very formal and professional tone and use subject-specific vocabulary. However, a leaflet offering advice to teenagers on staying safe online would need to adopt a much less formal approach, otherwise the people it's aimed at (teenagers) would stop reading.
Language of Argument
What is it?
Writing which offers personal opinions & refutes opposing views logically is argumentative.

Examples:
Speeches, debates, opinion pieces, letters to the editor, election material.

Layout:
The headings and bullet points you used for the language of information are generally speaking not appropriate here. You are expected to write in complete sentences, alternating between short snappy sentences and longer more complex ones. You need to build up a series of inter-connected ideas paragraph by paragraph, with each one flowing into the next. Election leaflets, however, will use headings, bullet points, etc...

Style:
Argumentative language is logical, rational and convincing. Obviously there is a certain amount of overlap with the language of information, with a focus on facts, statistics and examples. However, unlike the language of information, you are not presenting all of the facts and allowing the reader to decide for themselves. Instead, you are emphasising only those facts which support your point of view and offering logical reasons why those who disagree with your viewpoint are wrong.

A strong argument uses logic and reason:
1. to arrive at a particular point of view
2. to defend this position and
3. to refute counter arguments.

Once a person stops utilising the facts to prove their point and resorts to personal insults, they are no longer arguing, they are now persuading.
Language of Persuasion
What is it?
Writing which draws you in emotionally to manipulate how you feel and how you think is persuasive.

Examples:
Advertisements, competition entries, sermons, inspirational speeches.

Layout:
It depends on the genre. Advertisements pay close attention to layout and use a wide variety of headings and font sizes for captions, slogans, statistics etc. A persuasive speech will use a traditional essay-style layout. A competition entry or proposal will have a clear structure - introduction; details (3 - 4 paragraphs); what you expect to happen next.

Style:
Rather than purely factual (information) or logical (argument), persuasion manipulates your emotions to make you feel strongly about an issue. The writer draws on personal experiences to lure the reader or viewer into feeling certain emotions - sympathy, distress, disgust, admiration, pride, anger, fear, amusement. Once you are emotionally 'hooked' it becomes harder to analyse, assess and accept or reject the writer's message logically because the heart, not the head, is now in the driving seat! Asking rhetorical questions, making urgent references to time, using emphatic, superlative and emotive words, repeating a key phrase, adopting collective personal pronouns, creating vivid imagery, hyperbole, contrast and humour are all effective ways of manipulating people's feelings. Argument & persuasion often overlap - logic and emotion is a great combination if you want to win people over. You'll also find significant overlap between the language of persuasion and descriptive writing, which also draws people in emotionally.
Language of Description / Narration
What is it?
Narrative language tells a story, descriptive language paints a picture using words.

Examples:
Novels, short stories, memoirs and diary entries narrate. Travel writing, personal essays and feature articles describe.

Layout:
All stories have a beginning, a middle and an end. Hemmingway's six word short story "For sale, baby shoes, never worn" has all the ingredients of a compelling story:
set the scene, rousing the reader's curiosity (for sale)
draw the reader into the action emotionally (baby shoes)
finish with an unexpected development (never worn)
Obviously you need a more fully developed plot, setting and characters for a 1,000 word short story. Descriptive essays are less demanding because they do not require a plot, but they too must draw the reader in emotionally to what is being described.

Style:
To write descriptively, you must choose specific verbs. Rather than writing "Susan walks over and says she's really excited" select verbs which add energy and movement: " Susan bounces over, squealing with excitement".
Adjectives add details about the size, shape, texture, location etc of the noun being described. Rather than writing " As rain fell from the sky, my daughter began to cry" include adjectives which add vivid detail " As heavy rain thundered from the dark grey sky, tiny tears flooded my daughter's pale face". However, be careful not to overload your sentences - too many adjectives can make your writing slow and cumbersome.
Evoke all five senses (sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touch) to add depth to your writing. Rather than writing " A van pulled up and a burly man jumped out, ran into the shop, pulled out a gun and demanded that the shop assistant open the till" instead create a multi-sensory experience for the reader: " A shiny black van screeched to a halt and a burly man jumped out, bursting through the double doors and barrelling into the shop. Reaching for the cold metal butt of his revolver, he growled at the trembling shop assistant "open the f**king till! ".
Aesthetic Language
What is it?
Language which is crafted to create something beautiful. Only the language of information deliberately avoids trying to be beautiful & engaging, choosing instead to present the facts in a purely objective fashion. All other types - argumentative, persuasive, narrative and descriptive - aim for beauty as well as clarity.

Examples:
Poetry, song lyrics, novels, plays. Any great work of art: think William Shakespeare, James Joyce, Seamus Heaney or equally Emily Bronte, Sylvia Plath, Eavan Boland.

Layout:
There are no rules, there is only beauty. Emily Dickinson ignored all the 'rules' of grammar to create an aesthetic effect; so did James Joyce. Great writers master their craft by obeying the rules at first but they will also experiment and play with language to create something new.

Style:
Similes, metaphors, personification, symbolism, contrast, alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhyme, rhythm, recurring motifs, pathetic fallacy, allusion, foreshadowing, dramatic irony, poetic justice. However, just using literary techniques won't necessarily make your writing aesthetically pleasing and beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, so what I might consider beautiful, you might consider boring.

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Summary of information, argument, persuasion etc...

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Language Types The way we use language changes depending on the situation. The words you use in a job interview are obviously more formal than the words you choose when chatting to your mates. If you write a fawning comment to win a competition you'll use lots of superlatives (think 'biggest', 'best', 'brightest') but for a political speech on bank debt you'll use financial terminology.

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This is a regular question for our Snapchat Leaving Cert Q&A, so here's the low down, a consensus from people who recently got the A1 (H1).

You may also like: Complete Guide: A1 Leaving Cert English Notes and Sample Answers

Paper 1

Total time: 170 minutes (200 marks)

Reading
15-20 minutes (read the questions first, then the texts)

A
i
10 min (15 marks) Aim for 0.75 - 1 page
ii
10 min (15 marks) Aim for 0.75 - 1 page
iii
15 min (20 marks) Aim for 1.25 pages

B
30 min (50 marks) Aim for 2 pages

Composing
65 min (100 marks) Aim for 4.5-5 pages

Proofreading
15 minutes

Paper 2

Total time: 200 minutes (200 marks)

Reading the questions
5 minutes

Single text
50 min (60 marks) Aim for 4-5 pages

Comparative
60 min (70 marks) Aim for 4.5-5 pages

Unseen poetry
20 min (20 marks) Aim for 1 page

Prescribed poetry
45 min (50 marks) Aim for 4-5 pages

Proofreading
15 minutes

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Leaving Cert English Higher Level Timing - Leaving Cert Notes and Sample Answers

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This is a regular question for our Snapchat Leaving Cert Q&A, so here's the low down, a consensus from people who recently got the A1 (H1). You may also like: Complete Guide: A1 Leaving Cert English Notes and Sample Answers Paper 1 Total time: 170 minutes (200 marks) Reading15-20 minutes (read the questions first, then the ...

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Intrinsic Motivation Justifiable? Perspective Hamlet's inability to kill the King because he is praying, maybe repenting. Question: Hamlet's Revenge Is it justified? Has he every right to be angry? "Here, thou incestuous, murd'rous damned Dane, Drink off this potion...Follow my

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ROSENCRANTZ "Both your majesties Might, by the sovereign power you have of us, Put your dread pleasures more into command Than to entreaty. ROSENCRANTZ Both you and the king might have ordered us to execute your command, instead of asking us so politely. GUILDENSTERN But we both

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I am too much in the sun (Hamlet to Claudius)

the funeral baked meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables (Hamlet to Horatio)

Frailty, thy name is woman! (Hamlet to himself)

"Seems," madam? Nay, it is. I know not "seems." (Hamlet to Gertrude)

For if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a god kissing carrion. (Hamlet to Polonius)

like a mildew'd ear (Hamlet to Gertrude)

To let this canker of our nature come
In further evil? (Hamlet to Horatio)

I essentially am not in madness, but mad in craft (Hamlet to Gertrude)

To put an antic disposition on (Hamlet to Ghost)

O cursèd spite,
That ever I was born to set it right! (Hamlet to Ghost)

The serpent that did sting thy father's life now wears his crown (Ghost about Claudius)

that incestuous, that adulterate beast (Ghost about Claudius)

To be honest as this world goes is to be one man picked out of ten thousand (Hamlet to Polonius)

Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain! (Hamlet to himself)

O vengeance!
Why, what an ass am I! (Hamlet to himself)

These are but wild and whirling words (Horatio to Hamlet)

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Hamlet: List of Essential Quotations for Leaving Cert - Leaving Cert Notes and Sample Answers

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You may also like: Complete Guide: H1 Leaving Cert English Notes and Sample Answers I am too much in the sun (Hamlet to Claudius) the funeral baked meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables (Hamlet to Horatio) Frailty, thy name is woman! (Hamlet to himself) "Seems," madam? Nay, it is.

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NOTE: Don't waste time learning off what act and scene each quote is from, it won't gain you any extra marks in the exam. Just have a general sense of where they belong chronologically eg 'In the nunnery scene...' 'In the prayer scene...' or 'In the gravedigger's scene...'

Act 1, scene 2 - Claudius conducts affairs of state, begs Hamlet not to be so melancholy, and Gertrude asks him to stay with them instead of returning to college.

" A little more than kin and less than kind " - Hamlet, aside. Reveals disgust at his new 'relationship' to his uncle/step-father Claudius

" I have that within me which passes show/ these but the trappings and the suits of woe " - Hamlet to Gertrude. Here Hamlet distinguishes between genuine grief (his own) and false grief (Gertrude/Claudius).

"I shall in all my best obey you, madam" - Hamlet to Gertrude. He deliberately snubs Claudius, and reluctantly obeys his mother.

"that the Everlasting had not fixed/ His canon against self-slaughter" - Hamlet He is so depressed that he contemplates suicide, but won't go through with it because it's a sin.

"Frailty, thy name is woman" - Hamlet, soliloquy. His opinion of women has plummeted following his mother's hasty remarriage.

"O most wicked speed, to post/ With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!/ It is not nor it cannot come to good/ But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue" - Hamlet, soliloquy. He feels constrained not to complain, but is disgusted by their relationship. The marriage of such close relatives would have been regarded as incest in Shakespearean times. It is doubly revolting because they don't even wait until Hamlet's Snr's body is cold in the grave, thus showing a profound lack of respect for his memory.

"I shall not look upon his like again" - Hamlet to Horatio. Hamlet's admiration for his father is clear. Hamlet believes that he is irreplaceable. Ironic comment because he will meet his father again (as a ghost) in the very next scene!

"I doubt some foul play.../Foul deeds will rise/ Though all the earth o'erwhelm them to men's eyes" - Hamlet. The appearance of his father's ghost makes him suspicious, but he is confident that he will discover the truth.

Act 1, scene 4 - Hamlet waits in darkness for the ghost to appear, whilst the sounds of revelry from Claudius' court ring in the background.

" oft it chances in particular men/ the stamp of one defect/ his virtues else be they as pure as grace/ shall in the general censure take corruption/ from that particular fault " - Hamlet's soliloquy revealing his intellectual side commenting on the reputation of Danes for being drunkards, he notes that men may be blessed with many gifts, abilities and virtues, but their one fault may be their downfall. A small element of evil can corrupt an otherwise virtuous individual.

Act 1, scene 5 - Hamlet meets his father's ghost and learns the truth.

" Haste me to know it, that I with wings as swift/ As meditation or the thoughts of love/ May sweep to my revenge " - Hamlet to the ghost. Hamlet wants to know the details of the crime so he can immediately seek revenge.

" From the table of my memory/ I'll wipe away all trivial fond records.../And thy commandment all alone shall live/ Within the book and volume of my brain " He swears to erase everything from his memory except this urgent demand for revenge

" O most pernicious woman/ O villain, villain, smiling damned villain!.../ One may smile, and smile and be a villain/ At least I am sure it may be so inDenmark" - Hamlet to himself He equally blames his mother (for her betrayal) and Claudius (for the crime) and reiterates an idea from Marcellus earlier on that " something is rotten in the state of Denmark".

" No, you will reveal it " - Hamlet to Horatio. At first he refuses to tell his best friend, Horatio, what he has discovered. Although he quickly changes his mind, this reveals the beginnings of his paranoia.

" There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio/ Then are dreamt of in your philosophy " -Hamlet to Horatio. The supernatural atmosphere increases as Hamlet maintains that science and rationality cannot explain everything in the universe.

" The time is out of joint. O cursed spite/ That ever I was born to set it right!" He comments that the state of Denmark has been afflicted with a terrible sickness, and laments the fact that it is his fate/destiny to find the cure.

Act 2, scene 2 - Claudius sends Rosencrantz & Guildenstern to discover the cause of Hamlet's madness; Hamlet fobs them off. They introduce a group of players to cheer him up, and he comes up with a plan to prove Claudius' guilt.

" It appeareth nothing to me but a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours ". Hamlet to Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, revealing his disillusionment with the world.

" My uncle-father, and aunt-mother, are deceived.../ I am but mad north-north-west " - Hamlet to Ros & Guild. He reveals that he is only a little/only occasionally mad to his old school friends.

" Oh what a rogue and peasant slave am I.../ Am I a coward.../I am pigeon-livered and lack gall/ To make oppression bitter " - Hamlet soliloquy. Hamlet berates himself, having seen the passion of the players, for not acting on his own passionate desire for revenge.

" The spirit that I have seen/ May be a devil.../I'll have grounds/More relative than this " - Hamlet soliloquy. He reveals part of the reason for his hesitancy (afraid to trust the ghost's word), and resolves to have firmer evidence of his uncle's guilt before he inflicts punishment.

" the play's the thing/ wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king " - Hamlet. He decides that the best way to test Claudius' guilt is to make him face his own crime in the form of a play, and then watch for his reaction.

Act 3, scene 1 - the 'nunnery scene' opens with a meditation on life and death. Ophelia has been sent by Polonius/Claudius to speak to Hamlet so that they can test the theory that his madness is due to unrequited love. Hamlet is cruel and cynical towards her, either (a) because he realises she's in league with Polonius/Claudius or (b) because he's so disgusted with the idea of love/marriage following his mother's betrayal of his father's memory.

" To be or not to be, that is the question/ Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer/ The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune/ Or to take arms against a sea of troubles/ And by opposing, end them" -Hamlet wonders which is preferable, life or death. At this point he sees life as nothing more than pain and suffering. Later in this speech he suggests that all that stops us from killing ourselves is the fear of the unknown - " the dread of something after death"

" Thus conscience does make cowards of us all/ And thus the native hue of resolution/ Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought/ And enterprises of great pitch and moment/ With this regard their currents turn awry/ And lose the name of action " - Hamlet soliloquy. The opening sentence can mean two things. First, that reflecting on the implications of an action can make us afraid of performing it (as he's afraid of killing Claudius) or secondly, that our moral voice makes us fear doing what we know is morally wrong (committing murder). Our natural hot blooded reaction is cooled by over-analysing the issue.

" No, not I, I never gave you aught " - Hamlet to Ophelia as she attempts to return gifts that he gave her in the past. His response may suggest that he views this 'new' Ophelia as a stranger. His view of women has certainly suffered.

" I did love you once" - Hamlet to Ophelia " Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so" - Ophelia to Hamlet " You should not have believed me...I loved you not" - Hamlet to Ophelia " I was the more deceived" - Ophelia to Hamlet " Get thee to a nunnery...if thou dost marry, I'll give thee this plague for thy dowry: be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow " Hamlet to Ophelia. Hamlets' bitterness towards women generally, and towards his ex-lover Ophelia specifically is revealed in this scene. He ridicules her rejection of him, suggesting she is now only fit for a nunnery, where she can guard her virginity forever! It has been suggested that Hamlet knows that her father is hiding behind the arras. he may also suspect sudden change of heart was motivated by Polonius' accusation that he only wanted her so he could steal her virginity and he is insulted that she thought so little of him.

" If thou wilt marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them " - Hamlet to Ophelia, offering a further critique of women.

Act 3, scene 2 - Hamlet tests and confirms Claudius' guilt with the performance of "The Murder of Gonzago". Ros & Guild and Polonius deliver the message that Gertrude wants to see him in her chamber.

" Is this a prologue...? - Hamlet to Ophelia " 'Tis brief my Lord" - Ophelia to Hamlet " As woman's love" - Hamlet to Ophelia. His obsession with his mother's " o'er hasty marriage " is affecting his view of all women, and making him particularly cruel to Ophelia.

" Lady shall I lie in your lap?"..... "did you think I meant country matters?" "That's a fair thought to lie between maid's legs " Hamlet to Ophelia. He engages in sexual inuendo, suggesting that she, not he, is the one fixated on sex. Again, he is probably still hurt that she thought his only interest in her was sexual and broke off their relationship as a result.

" Your majesty, and we that have free souls, it touches us not " Hamlet during the play.

" He poisons him I' th' garden for his estate...You shall see anon how the murderer gets the love of Gonzago's wife " - Hamlet to Claudius. Hamlet goads Claudius into a reaction, commenting repeatedly on the performance of the play (within a play) 'the murder of Gonzago'. However, he makes a mistake when he makes the murderer in the play the King's nephew. The members in the court who are watching the play don't know that Claudius killed his brother, so they are likely to interpret this as Hamlet threatening to kill his uncle Claudius.

" My wit's deceased" " Sir, I lack advancement" "Do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe?". Hamlet no longer views Rosencrantz & Guildenstern as friends, and refuses to give them a straight answer when they again try to probe the reasons for his madness/melancholy.

" Let me be cruel, not unnatural; I will speak daggers to her, but use none " Hamlet in soliloquy resolves not to put his feelings into action - he has promised the ghost of his father that he won't punish Gertrude for Claudius' crime. We are still unclear as to whether or not Gertrude was involved in his father's murder but Hamlet seems convinced that she was.

Act 3, scene 3 - the prayer scene

" Why this is hire and salary, not revenge " - Hamlet soliloquy. He decides that if he kills Claudius at prayer, he'll be acting like nothing more than a hired assassin. If Claudius goes to heaven, his punishment will be nought and Hamlet's revenge will be incomplete.

" Then trip him that his heels may kick at heaven/ And that his soul may be as damned and black/ As hell whereto he goes " " - Hamlet soliloquy. He resolves to wait until he is certain that Claudius will go to hell, by killing him when he's committing a sin.

Act 3, scene 4 - Hamlet's meeting with Gertrude, where he accidentally kills Polonius.

" Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended " - Gertrude to Hamlet

" Mother, you have my father much offended " - Hamlet to Gertrude. Hamlet refuses to allow his mother to lecture him on correct behaviour.

" Have you forgot me?" - Gertrude

" You are the queen, your husband's brother's wife/ And would it were not so, you are my mother " - Hamlet. Gertrude, shocked by his lack of respect, asks if he has forgotten that he is speaking to his mother. Hamlet's disgust springs from the religious belief that the marriage of such close relatives as Gertrude and Claudius is wrong and incestuous.

" A bloody deed - almost as bad, good mother/ As kill a king and marry with his brother " - Hamlet to Gertrude. Hamlet's response to his crime is cold and unemotional. He is so obsessed with the crimes of his uncle and mother, that he feels his own (he has just killed Polonius) pale into insignificance. He seems to think that his mother was involved in (or had previous knowledge of) the plot to kill his father Hamlet Snr. (Note: her response suggests she knew nothing of it)

" Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell! / I took thee for thy better ". Hamlet's major emotion following his murder of Polonius is disappointment because he hoped it was Claudius hiding behind the arras. He seems unaffected by the fact that he has murdered a (largely) innocent man, and suggests that Polonius got what he deserved for being a meddlesome fool!

" Have you eyes? You cannot call it love, for at your age/ The hey day in the blood is tame, it's humble/ And waits upon the judgement, and what judgement/ Would step from this to this?". Hamlet forces his mother to look at two portraits of her lovers- one of his father, one of Claudius. He cannot understand how she could be satisfied with the pathetic replacement she has found.

" A murderer & a villain...a vice of kings/ A cutpurse of the empire & the rule ". Hamlet's assessment of Claudius' character, designed to torture his mother with guilt. (Cutpurse = Thief)

" Do you see nothing there?". Hamlet is amazed that Gertrude cannot see the ghost. She becomes convinced that he is truly mad.

" Confess yourself to heaven. Repent what's past, avoid what is to come ". Hamlet begs his mother to repent her sins. He wants to save her soul proving he still loves her.

" For this same lord I do repent; but heaven hath pleased it so/ To punish me with this, and this with me/ That I must be their scourge and minister ". Hamlet realises that he will eventually be punished for his crime, but he is also convinced that it is the will of the Gods that he be their instrument of vengeance and punishment. (Polonius' deceit has been punished by Hamlet.) He no longer worries what is right and wrong - he has convinced himself that getting revenge is what God wants him to do.

" I essentially am not in madness/ But mad in craft ". Hamlet reveals to his mother that his madness is nothing more than an act, but warns her not to reveal this fact to her husband Claudius.

" I'll lug the guts into the neighbour room ". Hamlet's lack of respect for the dead makes us wonder if his remorse was genuine.

Act 4, scene 2 - Hamlet describes his old school friends as sponges, that soak up everything the King says. However, in the end, they will be cast aside: " When he needs what you have gleaned, it is but squeezing you, and sponge, you shall be dry again "

Act 4, scene 3 - Claudius quizzes Hamlet about the whereabouts of Polonius' body and tells him he is to be sent toEngland' for his own safety', as there he can avoid punishment for the crime he has committed.

" In heaven. Send hither to see. If your messenger find him not there, seek him i' th' other place yourself ". It is threatening comments like this that convince Claudius that Hamlet is a threat to him and must be disposed of.

Act 4, scene 4 - Hamlet meets a Norwegian officer, who tells him of Fortinbras' expedition to capture a small patch of land fromPoland. Hamlet then compares himself unfavourably to Fortinbras (although Shakespeare doesn't necessarily agree - he seems to be ridiculing Fortinbras' meagre justification for waging war).

" What is a man/ If his chief good and market of his time/ Be but to sleep and feed? A beast no more....Sith I have cause, and will, and strength, and means to do it... Rightly to be great/ Is not to stir without great argument/ But greatly to find quarrel in a straw/When honour's at the stake/ How stand I then/ That have a father killed, a mother stained/ Excitements of my reason and my blood/ And let all sleep? While to my shame I see/ The imminent death of twenty thousand men/ That for a fantasy or trick of fame/ Go to their graves like beds, fight for a plot/ Whereon the numbers cannot try the cause "

He knows that there is more to life than serving one's bodily desires, otherwise we are no better than animals. He realises that he has no excuse for his inaction. He argues that the true sign of greatness can be seen in a man (like Fortinbras) who will fight over a trifle when his honour is at stake. By comparison, Hamlet sees his own inaction, when he has every reason to seek revenge, as pathetic. He is ashamed. However, the audience may be less sure of the righteousness of Fortinbras' actions - he is, after all, causing the imminent death of 20,000 men for 'a fantasy or a trick of fame'.

" O from this time forth/ My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth ". Hearing of Fortinbras' leads to a further resolution to get revenge for once & for all.

Act 4, scene 6 - we hear from Horatio that Hamlet has escaped and is returning toDenmark.

Act 4, scene 7 - Claudius convinces Laertes that Hamlet killed his father, and devises a plan to get rid of him in a faux fencing match.

Act 5, scene 1 - the graveyard scene, where Hamlet muses on the nature of life and death, accidentally comes across Ophelia's funeral, and fights with Laertes.

" That skull had a tongue in it, and could sing once...This might be the pate of a politician, which this ass now o'er-reaches; one that would circumvent God ". Hamlet muses on the idea that even those who attempt to by-pass God's law and morality, cannot escape the inevitability of death.

" Get you to my lady's chamber, and tell her, let her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must come ". However she paints her face, a lady will end up looking no more attractive than this skull (the irony of this thought lies in his ignorance of the fact that the grave is being dug for Ophelia). He again muses on the pointlessness of our worldly concerns, as none of us can avoid death. He later muses that many great leaders, like Alexander and Caesar, also ended up in the grave, just as the king, Claudius enters.

" What is he whose grief bears such an empha sis?". Again, Hamlet feels offended by what he sees as false and over the top protestations of grief.

" I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers/ Could not with all their quantity of love/ Make up the sum " Hamlet feels the nature and quality of his love was more powerful than Laertes'. It is possible that his attack on Laertes is motivated by utter shock that Ophelia is dead and a combination of guilt and rage when Leartes implies that Hamlet may be partially to blame. He cannot bear the thought that he may have contributed to the death of this woman he loved and so lashes out.

Act 5, scene 2 - the fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes, which ultimately leads to the completion of Hamlet's revenge, and the death of all of the major characters in the play.

" There's a divinity that shapes our ends/ Rough-hew them how we will ". He now believes in a divine purpose behind everything that human beings do, in the idea that (even if we don't know it at the time) there is a grand pattern. All of his recent good luck appears to Hamlet as proof that he has been saved from death for a greater purpose - to get revenge on Claudius and thus serve him with the divine justice he deserves for his crimes.

" He should those bearers put to sudden death/ not shriving-time allowed " Hamlet's deceitful replacement of Claudius' letter to the King of England with one of his own ordering the execution of Ros. & Guild, and his lack of remorse at their deaths reveals how morally tainted he has become in the course of the play by the deception and betrayal that surrounds him.

" They are nor near my conscience, their defeat/ Does by their own insinuation grow " Hamlet feels that they have only got what they deserved for getting mixed up with a villain like Claudius. He assumes that they knew about the plot to have him killed.

" He that hath killed my king, and whored my mother/ Popped in between th' election and my hopes/ Thrown out his angle for my proper life " This is a summary of all of Hamlet's grievances with Claudius - he killed his father, turned his mother into a slut, prevented Hamlet from gaining the throne, and then attempted to have him killed.

" I am very sorry, good Horatio/ That to Laertes I forgot myself/ For by the image of my cause I see/ The portraiture of his ". Hamlet regrets his row with Laertes, because he realises that Laertes has a just reason for seeking vengence, and that in thus they are very much alike.

" I will win for him if I can; if not, I will gain nothing but my shame and the odd hits ". Hamlet casually accepts the invitation to a duel, as though he has nothing to lose

" Thou wouldst not think how ill's here about my heart... a kind of gaingiving as would perhaps trouble a woman ". He is filled with a sense of foreboding, his spirit is troubled, but he suspects this is no more than womanly cowardice and superstition.

" If it be now 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come ". Hamlet has lost all fear of death - he believes that if his time has come, there is nothing he can do about it. (Que sera, sera, whatever will be will be).

" Give me your pardon sir, I have done you wrong...What I have done...I here proclaim was madness ". Hamlet asks Laertes to forgive him, he did not knowingly kill his father.

" How does the queen?...O villainy. Ho, let the door be locked...The point envenomed too?/ Then venom to thy work." Hamlet stabs the King, then forces him to drink poison. His mother's death finally provokes Hamlet to action. It is fitting that Claudius is killed with the weapons he himself poisoned in order to kill Hamlet.

" Heaven make thee free of it " Hamlet offers Laertes forgiveness as he lies dying.

" If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart/ Absent thee from felicity awhile/ And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain/ To tell my story ". Hamlet begs Horatio on his deathbed to tell the truth to the world and thus protect his memory beyond the grave.

" I do prophesy th' election lights/ On Fortinbras. He has my dying voice...the rest is silence ". Hamlet's final words reveal his noble concern for the future of the kingdom, even as he lies dying.

After his death great tributes are paid to him by both Horatio & Fortinbras. Horatio says "goodnight sweet prince and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest" and Fortinbras comments " Bear Hamlet like a soldier to the stage; For he was likely, had he been put on, To have proved most royal ".

No more can be said of Hamlet - the rest is silence.

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NOTE: Don't waste time learning off what act and scene each quote is from, it won't gain you any extra marks in the exam. Just have a general sense of where they belong chronologically eg 'In the nunnery scene...' 'In the prayer scene...' or 'In the gravedigger's scene...'

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The exam hall is probably the least condusive environment for inspiration known to humankind. It is a weird pressure cooker of silence and ticking clocks, all tinged with the internal panic of knowing that 37% of your grade in English relies on you finding something to say and saying it well for QB and The Essay. You have no control over the topics that will appear, nor can you predict whether or not you will be paralyzed by indecision or writer's block. And they say the Leaving Cert is 'fair'? 'Brutal' and 'cruel' are the words that spring sooner to my mind! (But then I am prone to hyperbole...)

So what can you do? Well some people 'prepare' essays/short stories and hope one of them will sort of, kind of, 'fit' on the day. I have seen this work, but only when the student is (a) the writer of these essays/stories - because they have learned how to become a good writer through practice and (b) clever/calm enough to change it significantly to tie in exactly with the essay title that appears on the day.
More often than not I have seen this fail. Spectacularly.
I recall two examples vividly. One was where a student of mine had written a really beautiful essay entitled "Childhood Memories". I had given him 100% for the essay - it was witty, funny, moving and poetic. When he went into the exam one of the titles asked students to write a personal essay on "The Idealism and Passions of Youth". He didn't like any of the other titles. So he panicked and just re-wrote his wonderful essay on childhood memories. But it had very very little relevance to the title. I remember him being disappointed when the results came out, and going in to view the paper, and my heart sinking when I started to read the all too familiar - and brilliant - essay from a couple of months before. Because no matter how great the essay is outside of the exam hall (and this applies to all of your essays on Hamlet and poetry and the comparative too) if it does not completely and consistently engage directly with the essay title then you are in trouble.

The second example was even more troubling. This student got hold of a short story that someone else had written and assured herself that because the original writer had gotten an A1 in Leaving Cert. English, then all she had to do was learn off and write the same short story in the exam and she too would get a really good grade in this section of the paper. She got 43 out of 100. The short story title was highly specific - "Write a short story in which two unusual or eccentric characters meet for the first time". She changed nothing of the story she had learned off. The central characters were neither unusual nor eccentric. They weren't meeting for the first time. I think the term my students would use to describe her decision to stick with her 'brilliant' plan despite all evidence that it was a really bad idea would be 'epic fail'! I won't even get into my moral qualms about the fact that this was blatant plagiarism, passing off someone else's work as her own (if you want to know how I feel about plagiarism, click HERE).

I'm not judging here so please don't think I'm 'giving out' in typical teacher style. I can completely understand the profound discomfort of walking into an exam completely unarmed, as it were. Having something 'prepared' feels safer, less of a risk and you convince yourself that you'll do better if you have something ready in advance - like they do in all of the best cookery programs. As the examples above prove, this isn't necessarily the case.

So what should you do instead???

Choose a wide range of topics and then collect ideas around these topics.

Specifically you should collect:

1. Inspirational quotes - collect them from those little calendars, or find them online, use song lyrics and even quotes from Shakespeare and your studied poets. Avoid well known sayings that have become cliches - you want to surprise the reader with a quote they haven't heard before, not bore them with an idea they've heard a hundred times before. These quotes can be used in speeches, in newspaper/magazine articles and in personal essays.

2. Anecdotes - write a couple of 200 word paragraphs which draw on funny or difficult or memorable experiences from your life. These should use the techniques of descriptive writing to draw the reader into the experience. Again, they can be used in personal essays and in speeches and newspaper/magazine articles as long as they are relevant to the title you choose on the day.

3. Facts and statistics - see if you can find some interesting facts, statistics or research that relate to the topics you've chosen to 'prepare' in advance. This is easier than you might think - I just googled 'facts' and landed on this site OMG facts. I'm sure there are many more similar sites on the web.

4. Lists - one of the most effective and underutilized techniques known to man. Or woman. Or in this case teenagers. Actually teenage writers doing their leaving cert. You get the idea. And look, I've just used it! A list! Going in with a list of ideas on a wide variety of topics is the single greatest gift you can give yourself. It means you walk into the exam with lots of ideas swirling around in your head and all you have to do is select those which are relevant on the day.

If you have no idea where to look for ideas on a given range of topics start here: but be warned - if you are interested in the world around you, once you enter Ted, you may get lost and find yourself several hours later wondering where the time went.

If you don't have a lot of time start here - inspiring talks in 3 minutes: http://www.ted.com/themes/ted_in_3_minutes.html

Otherwise, here are endless discussions of fascinating topics by some of the most talented, knowledgable and funny individuals in the world:

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The exam hall is probably the least condusive environment for inspiration known to humankind. It is a weird pressure cooker of silence and ticking clocks, all tinged with the internal panic of knowing that 37% of your grade in English relies on you finding something to say and saying it well for QB and The Essay.

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A student of mine, who would prefer to remain anonymous, wrote this wonderful essay on bullying as a follow up to our school's anti-bullying week and has kindly given me permission to publish it here. I feel it deserves to be read by a wider audience than me...
The ABC of Bullying

-Anonymous

In every year group there is a girl just like the letter 'Z'. Last in the ranking, no support behind her, often forgotten about. 'Z' did not choose this life for herself. It almost just happened automatically, like nature. At the end of the day, if everyone is popular then nobody is popular.

In the beginning, 'Z' is her own worst enemy. Last on the list of 26 letters, she often feels lonely and out of the loop. Looking around my year group today, I can pick out quite a few 'Z's'. Easy targets. Insecure. Nobodies.

I can only imagine to a bully, they stick out like a sore thumb. A bully, someone deeply insecure in themselves, can easily sniff out other damaged souls of its kind. Do I feel sorry for the bully? The answer is yes, I completely do. I ask myself the question, is a bully a murderer or a mountain lion? Both kill, however one does it out of evil, the other does it to survive. I have always been of the opinion that the bully is the one who needs human help. The one who, similar to the victim, needs support.
"If a man cannot understand the beauty of life, it is probably because life never understood the beauty in him "
- Anonymous

Sometimes it is hard to believe the bully has no support. They come across so superior and confident. But on deeper observation they too are often missing some form of family/friendship back-up. They may belong to a tight group of friends, yet still not feel secure.

'A' is confident and popular. Leader of an elite group, the vowels. 'A, E, I, O& U' call the shots. If you are not in with them, you probably don't exist. What proper word doesn't have a vowel in it? Dominators of the English language, they have the power. 'A' knows all the letters in the Alphabet very well. However, she never really bothers with 'Z'. She finds 'Z' to be boring, weird and ugly. " Not even symmetrical! "

'A' knows 'Z' is unpopular. She knows 'Z' holds very few pages in the dictionary. She just excludes her.

In today's world, this behaviour is rampant. I see it every day. Nobody wants to be seen or associated with someone classed as 'unpopular'. At this age in school, everything revolves around your social standing. And in an all-girls school, it is very important to have a boyfriend. If you don't, there must be something wrong with you.

So where is 'Z' in all of this? So far we have established 'Z' is lonely, unsupported and insecure. Not popular, and with very few pages in the dictionary. Insignificant. The perfect victim.

'A' on the other hand, acts the complete opposite way. However, always being the centre of attention, she feels used and abused. She is fed up, but she wears the best disguise. 'A' really feels like 'a'. She is about to snap.

It takes two to tango. 'A' and 'Z' are a match made in heaven. It doesn't take long for 'A' to unleash her pain and anger on 'Z'. It doesn't take long for 'Z' to let her away with this. And this is where the vicious cycle starts. Neither party really knows what they are doing, neither party knows how to escape.

So where am I in this equation of bullying?

I see myself as the letter 'M'. Smack bang in the middle. Ordinary. Symmetrical. Safe. Neither a full bully, neither a full victim. Have I done some terribly cruel things to other humans during my short time on this planet? Yes, and I am forever ashamed of them, but haven't we all at some point in our lives? However, since coming into secondary school, I have grown a lot. I would like to think I know the difference between right and wrong, but is this enough?

Today, I know I could do a lot more for the 'Z's' of my class. I know they are there yet I don't do anything to help them. Being honest, I classify myself worse than a bully. Me being the letter 'M' means I have support all around. I have the ability to see both sides of the story and make the right decision. I have the ability to help. I have the ability to stop bullying!

" Knowing what is right doesn't mean much unless you do what's right "

-Theodore Roosevelt

I have learnt a lot from this year's anti-bullying week.

Now I know my 'ABCs', it's time for me to start helping all those 'Z's'.

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A student of mine, who would prefer to remain anonymous, wrote this wonderful essay on bullying as a follow up to our school's anti-bullying week and has kindly given me permission to publish it here. I feel it deserves to be read by a wider audience than me...

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This is a personal essay (I found it in an old foolscap a few years ago) from when I was in Leaving Cert. It's not terribly original and the ending just kind of tails off pathetically but rather than fix it up I decided to leave it as I had written it at 17. It should give you a strong sense that there is a real difference between personal essays and short stories.

A Farewell to Adolescence

One of the scariest things about being in Leaving Cert. is realising that you are the oldest pupils in the school. In the first couple of days it gently hits you that the people who once intimidated you so much are all gone. Any intimidation that goes on now is probably your esteemed self complaining (loudly) in the presence of first years about how cheeky and wild they are. At this stage you usually find yourself commenting on the fact that your own year were NEVER that rude and boisterous, and you begin to despair for the youth of today. Where, oh where, did they ever go wrong?

It is about now you realise that you're beginning to grow up. Talking about the 'youth of today' sets off alarm bells in your head because you've started to distance yourself from this section of society. You no longer include yourself in the category of 'teenager' or 'adolescent'. Technically, you'll be a teenager until the end of your nineteenth year, but being as mature and responsible as you are, you handily disregard this fact!

After the first couple of days in Leaving Cert, it not-so-gently whacks you full-in-the-face that other people have also started to regard you as a young adult. Teachers, parents, and adults in general expect you to think and act more responsibly, as befits your new position in society. THAT's when you discover the role of young adult has as many drawbacks as advantages.

The first problem encountered is that of choosing a career! Of course, you'd always realised that EVENTUALLY you'd have to decide what to do with the rest of your life. But never in your wildest dreams or worst nightmares did you imagine just how difficult it would really be. The careers teacher bombards you with information about points, open days, college prospectus', CAO-CAS forms, subject choices, apprentices and requirements. It vaguely registers somewhere in the back of your mind that you've heard all this before (perhaps in last years careers class???) but you weren't really listening (at the time) because it was just kind of boring and irrelevant. Right now it's about as far away from irrelevant as it can possibly be, and your head is in a whirl. Oh, to be back in first year when everything was simple and all anyone seemed to talk about was how wild and cheeky you were!

Added to this burden of deciding what to do with the rest of your life, is the workload of the average Leaving Certificate pupil. You seem to spend at least three hours every night doing homework alone. Wondering when you'll get around to revising fourth year work is useless - you simply DON'T HAVE THE TIME! Every teacher seems to have some comment to make about how little work you've done, and how much you've left to cover. Being fulfilled, happy individuals, however, you don't despair and it never even enters your head how hopeless everything is...

The last (and in my opinion the worst) part of saying farewell to adolescence is that of being responsible for your own destiny. Every teacher and parent in the country seems to adopt the policy of constantly telling you that how you do in the Leaving Certificate Examinations in June is entirely up to you! Teachers remind you daily that they're not afraid of work and they're doing the best they can for you. If you don't pull up your socks and get down to work there's nothing they can do about it. Their most commonly used phrase abound this time is "I can't do the work for you!" You almost begin to believe the unspoken, follow-on-statement "I would if I could but I can't". Thus the weight of the world merrily thuds down onto your shoulders and this 'growing-up' process, this 'farewell to adolescence' seems less and less attractive every minute.

All is not doom and gloom however, and whilst the negative side of growing up is alive and well, there is also another, more desirable side blossoming satisfactorily, if you look at the other side of the coin. You begin to notice the extent to which your family life changes. Apart from a few sensitive areas, you're pretty much a free agent. Your parents no longer freak out if you leave the house for more than half an hour. You don't ask them any more if you can go out, they ask you if you are! It's not childish teenage disco's you're going to either - it's pubs and nightclubs. For the lucky minority who are already 18, it's not even illegal! The smoker who started smoking in national school suddenly realises that he's no longer breaking the law. You can even legally have sex!

A whole new world of possibility opens out before you, and somehow, life doesn't seem so bleak anymore. You don't get asked what age you are going into the cinema! Your mother doesn't wait until you've gone to bed to watch the video she's hired out - unless of course it's an "adult" movie of the coloured kind that you don't really want to watch anyway. And definitely not with your parents! Another advantage is the summer job which provides money, but more importantly, independence. I personally HATE having to ask my parents for money, and if I do, I have to tell them what it's for. When you've got your own money, you can do what you like with it and are answerable to no-one.

All in all, growing up has both advantages and disadvantages. The process is both rewarding and painful, joyous and sad. Luckily this transition must only be experienced once in every lifetime because being "stuck in the middle" is quite an awkward confusing time. Overall my 'farewell to adolescence' will be a thankful one. I'll be saying my goodbyes happily enough!

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This is a personal essay (I found it in an old foolscap a few years ago) from when I was in Leaving Cert. It's not terribly original and the ending just kind of tails off pathetically but rather than fix it up I decided to leave it as I had written it at 17.

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Freedom Writers (4/9) Movie CLIP - I Am Home (2007) HD

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Essay Plan for Claudius wknd Jan 10th 2020

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Essay Plan for Claudius wknd Jan 10th 2020

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This is just a summary of Claudius' main appearances in the play but you need to make up your own mind about his character. Is he purely a villain? Does he have any redeeming features? Are there moments when you admire him? Is he a good king? A good husband? What motivates him as a person? What are our final impressions of him?
Act 1, scene 2

He handles the threat from Fortinbras of Norway in a peaceful /diplomatic way, sending ambassadors to the King (Fortinbras'uncle) insisting he control his nephew.

Claudius is deeply insensitive towards Hamlet's grief and has the audacity to suggest that Hamlet is insulting God by not accepting his father's death "tis unmanly grief, it shows a will most incorrect to heaven" (we later learn that Claudius is the one who has actually challenged God's power over life and death).

He obeys the rule of all tyrants - keep your friends close and your enemies closer - by asking Hamlet not to return to college in Wittenburg "remain here in the cheer and comfort of our eye". Claudius phrases it as a request but Hamlet has to obey.
Act 1, scene 5

We hear indirectly of Claudius' crime from the ghost. There are echoes of the garden of Eden when the ghost describes his murder in the orchard "the serpent that did sting thy father's life now wears his crown". Claudius is referred to by the ghost as "garbage" & "that incestuous, that adulterate beast" who "won to his shameful lust the will of my most seeming virtuous queen".
Act 2, scene 2

He is sceptical of Polonius' explanation of Hamlet's madness (he is lovesick) but goes along with Polonius' plan to spy on a meeting between Ophelia and Hamlet.
Act 3, scene 1

We get our first glimpse of Claudius' humanity. Polonius comments that it is easy to cover the truth & "suger o'er the devil himself" & Claudius reflects "how smart a lash that speech doth give my conscience" . His guilt is a "heavy burden".

Having watched Hamlet with Ophelia Claudius is clever enough to realise that Hamlet is not lovesick, or crazy "Love? His affections do not that way tend, nor what he spake, though it lacked form a little, was not like madness. There's something in his soul o'er which his melancholy sits on brood".

He wants to send Hamlet away to England but Polonius convinces him not to. Instead, Gertrude will confront Hamlet while Polonius eavesdrops (spy plot 3!)
Act 3, scene 2 - the Player's Play

We hear from R & G that he is "marvellous distempered" following the play.
Act 3, scene 3 - Prayer Scene

Claudius again reveals his more human side. Rather than offering us a completely evil 'villain', Shakespeare shows us a glimpse of his inner turmoil "O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven". He realises that he cannot gain forgiveness for as long as he still possesses the advantages he gained from committing the crime "my crown, mine own ambition and my queen". He pleads with heaven for comfort "o wretched state! O bosom black as death!...help angels"
Act 4, scene 1 & 3

Our brief sympathy for Claudius is quickly extinguished. Despite Polonius being his chief adviser, his reaction to Polonius' murder is selfish relief that it wasn't him that was killed "O heavy deed! It had been so with us, had we been there".

Claudius now has the perfect excuse to send Hamlet away. He knows that Hamlet is popular and so doesn't punish Hamlet himself for fear of negative publicity "yet must not we put the strong law upon him, he's loved of the distracted multitude".

His order that Hamlet be killed upon arrival in England will solve the greatest obstacle to Claudius retaining power and ensure his crime remains undetected "do it England for like the hectic in my blood he rages and thou must cure me" .
Act 4, scene 5

He courageously faces down Laertes' accusations "o thou vile king, give me my father" & ironically finds comfort in the idea that as God's representative on earth God will protect him "Let him go Gertrude, do not fear our person, there's such divinity doth hedge a king that treason can but peep to what it would" . Laertes is difficult to calm "t0 hell allegiance...I dare damnation" & Claudius again uses his talent for flattery to win him over, "Good Laertes...why now you speak like a good child and a true gentleman...I am guiltless of your father's death" urging him to distinguish between friend & foe "where th' offence is let the great axe fall".
Act 4, scene 7

Claudius receives news that Hamlet has escaped the ship & returned to Denmark.

Claudius uses emotional blackmail to manipulate Laertes "was your father dear to you? Or are you like the painting of a sorrow, a face without a heart?" "What would you undertake to show yourself your father's son in deed more than words?" (Laertes replies "to cut his throat i' th' church").

The entire plan to challenge Hamlet to a duel, to poison the tip and the poisoned cup is dreamed up by Claudius but Leartes goes along with it because Claudius has convinced him that this will be proof of his devotion to his dead father.

Claudius' reaction to Ophelia's death is irritation. He fears it will provoke Laertes "How much I had to do to calm his rage! Now I fear this will give it start again"
Act 5, scene 1 Act 5, scene 2

Claudius makes only a very feeble attempt to save the Queen's life "Gertrude do not drink" and then tries to distract attention from her when she collapses "she swoons to see them bleed". Claudius clings to life until the very end "O yet defend me friends, I am but hurt".

Now think about how you might organise this information into 6 paragraphs of information.

You might begin with your first impressions of him. Act 1, scene 2.

Then you might discuss the scene where Hamlet meets the Ghost of his dead father and how the audience are heavily influenced by the vivid description of his horrific crimes (regicide, incest, adultery). From the very beginning of the play we are seeing events through Hamlet's eyes. Once the ghost clarifies what really happened we find it hard to escape our impression of Claudius as a murderous usurper.

In your third paragraph you might discuss the steps he takes to find out how much Hamlet knows. He's a clever actor who plays the part of concerned uncle very well when he summons R&G. He's also remarkably calm under pressure during the Murder of Gonzago.

Next discuss his aside (How smart a lash) and the Prayer scene which offers evidence that he has a conscience and think about the effect this has on the audience's sympathy for him. However balance that against the fact that he doesn't confess OR give up the fruits of his crimes.

In your fifth paragraph look at the completely selfish reaction to the deaths of Polonius (his chief advisor), Ophelia, and Gertrude (his wife and think about how this influenes our view of him.

Finally discuss the Machiavellian ruthlessness revealed in his emotional manipulation of Laertes. To say we admire him seems strange but in a way we do admire his evil genius - his determination, his intelligence, his practical decisive nature - even though we cannot approve of the way he uses these talents for evil rather than for good.

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This is just a summary of Claudius' main appearances in the play but you need to make up your own mind about his character. Is he purely a villain? Does he have any redeeming features? Are there moments when you admire him? Is he a good king? A good husband?

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FREE SAMPLE CRITICAL ESSAY

King Claudius is the crown-stealing and family-dividing villain who is the "something rotten" (1.4) in the state of Denmark. In the end, he is "justly served" by "a poison tempered by himself" (5.2).

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SAMPLE ESSAY BELOW

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sample essay below

Claudius' secret "brother's murder" (3.3) of Prince Hamlet's father, his within "a little month" marriage to his "sometime sister" (1.2) Queen Gertrude and his election shortly afterward as Denmark's king provide the starting points to the storyline of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Both literally and metaphorically, Claudius is a poisoner. Old King Hamlet, Queen Gertrude and ultimately Claudius himself all fall victim to his "juice of cursed hebenon" (1.5).

Moreover, his corrupting reign contaminates with deception and distrust the natural human bonds of friendship and romantic love.

The two "Good lads" (2.2) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are executed in England. And in Claudius' "unweeded garden" (1.2), the unwed couple of Hamlet and Ophelia end the play not together on Denmark's throne but united only in death in Elsinore's graveyard.

SHARE THE SHAKESPEARE

Despite Prince Hamlet's accusation towards his mother of fickle disloyalty ( "Frailty thy name is woman", 1.2), Gertrude remains steadfastly at the side of her second husband.

Claudius' dark secrets mean he can never fully open his heart to her. But his comments about Gertrude- "I could not but by her" (4.7)-reveal another side of an otherwise cold and calculating man.

The on-stage royal relationship is far removed from the unrestrained sensuality which Old King Hamlet's Ghost luridly imagines. It more resembles that of a middle-aged, married couple which, of course, Claudius and Gertrude actually are.

It is not that Claudius is incapable of love; rather he is incapable of placing love-anything else-above his passion for kingly power.

SHARE THE SHAKESPEARE

The most helpful book ever for students and teachers of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

42 x 1,500-word model essays
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Chapter-by-chapter guide to Hamlet Model Essays

IN THIS BOOK ARE THREE 1,500-WORD SAMPLE ESSAYS ON EACH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING 14 CHARACTERS, RELATIONSHIPS, AND THEMES. THAT'S 42 SAMPLE ESSAYS IN TOTAL.

A haunted-by-the-past Hamlet seeks the truth about his father's death ( "Do you see nothing there?"). A live-in-the-present Gertrude seeks to protect her second husband and crown ( "No, nothing but ourselves").
READ FREE SAMPLE ESSAY >

A king murdered, an inheritance stolen, a family divided: Elsinore's older generation destroys its younger when two brothers-one living, one undead-battle in a "cursed spite" over a crown and a queen.
READ FREE SAMPLE ESSAY >

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Claudius Character Analysis | Hamlet | 1,500-word Sample Essays

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King Claudius is the crown-stealing and family-dividing villain who is the "something rotten" (1.4) in the state of Denmark. In the end, he is "justly served" by "a poison tempered by himself" (5.2).

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Hamlet's major antagonist is a shrewd, lustful, conniving king who contrasts sharply with the other male characters in the play. Whereas most of the other important men in Hamlet are preoccupied with ideas of justice, revenge, and moral balance, Claudius is bent upon maintaining his own power. The old King Hamlet was apparently a stern warrior, but Claudius is a corrupt politician whose main weapon is his ability to manipulate others through his skillful use of language. Claudius's speech is compared to poison being poured in the ear-the method he used to murder Hamlet's father. Claudius's love for Gertrude may be sincere, but it also seems likely that he married her as a strategic move, to help him win the throne away from Hamlet after the death of the king. As the play progresses, Claudius's mounting fear of Hamlet's insanity leads him to ever greater self-preoccupation; when Gertrude tells him that Hamlet has killed Polonius, Claudius does not remark that Gertrude might have been in danger, but only that he would have been in danger had he been in the room. He tells Laertes the same thing as he attempts to soothe the young man's anger after his father's death. Claudius is ultimately too crafty for his own good. In Act V, scene ii, rather than allowing Laertes only two methods of killing Hamlet, the sharpened sword and the poison on the blade, Claudius insists on a third, the poisoned goblet. When Gertrude inadvertently drinks the poison and dies, Hamlet is at last able to bring himself to kill Claudius, and the king is felled by his own cowardly machination.

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Hamlet's major antagonist is a shrewd, lustful, conniving king who contrasts sharply with the other male characters in the play. Whereas most of the other important men in Hamlet are preoccupied with ideas of justice, revenge, and moral balance, Claudius is bent upon maintaining his own power.

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Character Analysis Claudius

Shakespeare's villains are complex. Unlike the earlier antiheroes of the revenge or morality plays that were popular in Elizabethan and Jacobean culture, Shakespearean criminals lack the simple clarity of absolute evil. Claudius is a perfect example of a quintessential Shakespearean antagonist.

Claudius is socially adept, and his charm is genuine. He can exhibit deep distress over his "dear brother's death" and admiration for his wife, "Th'imperial jointress to this warlike state." He knows the value of a great funeral, but quickly turns mourning into celebration and moves on "With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage" to whatever lies ahead. He is a decisive man, fair in his politics and commanding - if Gertrude's allegiance is any indication - in his bedroom.

The Queen has chosen to marry Claudius, and she defends him even to her son. In fact, she never opposes Claudius in anything. Were he dark and sinister in all things, she would fear and despise him; she follows him willingly even when he arranges to send her beloved son into the jaws of death. He must be sincere in his love for her. He explains his feelings for her at the end of Act IV, but he has proven these feelings consistently throughout the play

The Queen his mother
Lives almost by his looks, and for myself,
My virtue or my plague, be it either which,
She's so conjunctive to my life and soul
That as the star moves not but in his sphere,
I could not by her.

A character who loves is not merely a cold-blooded killer. Like Hamlet, his conflicting imperatives tear him apart.

Whereas he recognizes that he his "offense is rank" and "smells to heaven," he also admits that he will not make amends with God because he refuses to give up what his crime has bought him. He is willing to take the consequences of his actions.

In some ways, Claudius exhibits more heroism than Hamlet. He manipulates fortune and takes what is not rightfully his, but remains unapologetic for his actions; he possesses enough strength to admit that he would do the same again. Hamlet, torn by conscience to smite the morally deficient Claudius, causes the death of six innocent people before he accomplishes his goal. By taking full responsibility for his actions, Claudius mitigates his evil nature.

The mark of a great Shakespearean antagonist is how completely he mirrors the protagonist. Claudius is no more Machiavellian than Hamlet; both ultimately believe that the end justifies the means, and both ultimately sacrifice humanity and humaneness in the acquisition of their goals.

What makes Claudius a villain is that he is wrong, and Hamlet is right. Claudius is a sneak who murdered and lied. Hamlet commits his murders in the open and suffers the pangs of his own conscience. Claudius subverts his conscience and refuses to ask for divine forgiveness. Hamlet seeks contrition and absolves himself of guilt before he dies; Claudius receives no absolution and seeks none. Hamlet will spend eternity in Heaven; Claudius will burn in Hell.

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Get free homework help on William Shakespeare's Hamlet: play summary, scene summary and analysis and original text, quotes, essays, character analysis, and filmography courtesy of CliffsNotes. William Shakespeare's Hamlet follows the young prince Hamlet home to Denmark to attend his father's funeral.

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Introducing Claudius

Claudius is the antagonist (the enemy of the main character) in the play Hamlet. Claudius is a morally weak villain who values power and material things more than he values others. He differs from other men in the play because he is cunning, lacks morals, and is manipulative. Other men in Hamlet seek justice and have strong morals that dictate their decisions. Claudius simply wants to stay in power by any means necessary. Claudius's primary role in Hamlet is to create confusion and anger and impact Hamlet's discovery of truth and meaning in his life.

Character and Traits

After the death of his brother the king, Hamlet's father, Claudius steps in to rule and lead the people of Denmark. Claudius tries to create a sense of peace to prevent conflict following the death of his brother. Claudius tries to decrease conflict with neighboring Norway and appears, at first, to step in as a capable new leader and king after taking his brother's wife Gertrude as his wife. Shortly after taking the throne, it is revealed that Claudius may have become king in a corrupt way, by killing his brother.

Claudius has a number of dishonorable traits, such as his greed and corruption. He is an ambitious man who wants to advance himself in whatever way he can. Claudius is manipulative in his use of language and is said to have killed his brother by pouring poison into his ear. In fact, even Claudius's way of speaking is described as poison being poured into the ear. Claudius uses Laertes' grief after the death of his father and did not tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstern the contents of the letter they were taking for him to England. When Claudius knew Gertrude would drink from a poisoned goblet, he did not stop her because it would show he was a part of the plot to kill Gertrude's son Hamlet.

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shakespeare's claudius: character analysis & traits - video & lesson transcript | study.com

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Shakespeare's Claudius: Character Analysis & Traits - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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Claudius is the antagonist (the enemy of the main character) in the play Hamlet. Claudius is a morally weak villain who values power and material things more than he values others. He differs from other men in the play because he is cunning, lacks morals, and is manipulative.

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Derek Jacobi's Biography His also planning and uses people for his own ends. For example: Claudius's love for Gertrude maybe sincere, but his also a man driven by his sexual appetites. It also seems likely that he married her as a strategic move to help him win the throne away

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Essay 5 A4 pages min including quotes on :REVENGE AND JUSTICE IN HAMLET.
Notes given in class and handout also distributed to assist you with this essay.
Happy Christmas to you all.

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Emily Dickinson Hope is the thing with feathers

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Emily Dickinson Hope is the thing with feathers

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Leaving cert & Junior cert Exam Revision | Studyclix makes exams easier

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Leaving Cert and Junior Cert exam paper questions and marking schemes listed by topic. Studyclix makes exam revision and study easier

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The Great Gatsby plot summary. Freshen up before you do your essays!You may also like:The Great Gatsby: Intimate and Complex FriendshipThe Great Gatsby Sample Answer & Notes: Idealism and CorruptionComplete...

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Comparative Archives - Leaving Cert Notes and Sample Answers

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The Great Gatsby plot summary. Freshen up before you do your essays!You may also like:The Great Gatsby: Intimate and Complex FriendshipThe Great Gatsby Sample Answer & Notes: Idealism and CorruptionComplete...

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Timing and length of answers on LC Paper

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Timing and length of answers on LC Paper

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Adrienne Rich, perhaps more than any other contemporary poet, crystallised in her work and life, the consciousness of modern women. Her poems are, in this respect, overtly feminist in their outlook.

Her poems are confessional in that they often draw from her own life experience. While many poets tend to do this, Rich is unique among the poets on the Leaving Cert course in that she uses these experiences to make political statements.

Her poems contain complex images and metaphors - some extended metaphors like 'Storm Warnings' - and carefully worked out rhythms that challenge the reader.

Rich tends to draw from everyday experiences and events in order to make complex ideas more accessible.

The poems of Adrienne Rich spoke to me in a powerful way. She was definitely one of the most original and thought provoking poets that I have studied. Rich speaks for both herself and her generation in the throes of great change. The poems that I have studied represent many of the new ideas that emerged during her life. Not only do I find these ideas interesting but I believe that I have benefited directly from them.

'Aunt Jennifer's Tigers' speaks to me on many levels. It is an overtly feminist poem exploring the position of married women in society. However, it is also a great piece of writing. Rich creates contrast for maximum effect; the tigers are "proud and unafraid" unlike Aunt Jennifer who is "terrified". The nervousness of the aunt is perfectly conveyed through sound and movement; her "fingers" are "fluttering through her wool". Her creativity and personality is being suppressed by the marriage she is in: "The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band/Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand."

There is a sense that her marriage is 'weighing' her down. The dominance of her husband is suggested through the capitalisation of "Uncle". It is clear that this marriage is an unhappy one; even when her aunt is dead she is, "still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by". Unfortunately, even though this poem was written over fifty years ago, I can still recognise women like Aunt Jennifer.

However, the poem is not completely pessimistic. I think it does a lot to celebrate the potential of women. Aunt Jennifer may have been repressed and timid but she produced tigers that were "proud and unafraid". These tigers live on beyond her death. I think this poem hints at the changing position of women that we see today.

The threat of change is evoked beautifully in 'The Uncle Speaks in the Drawing Room'. Unsurprisingly, this poem is taken from Rich's collection called 'Change of World'. The arrogance of the speaker is displayed in his dismissal of the protesters as a "mob". Like 'Aunt Jennifer's Tigers', the dominant figure is the "uncle". I believe he is a symbol of a patriarchal society that is class-ridden with a sense of privilege and entitlement. References to the "drawing room" and "crystal vase and chandelier" reinforce this idea of an ostentatious, wealthy world removed from the common people.

I felt the anger of the mob as they "talked in bitter tones" and "fingered stones". Alliteration is used to great effect as Rich describes the "sullen stare" of the crowd. The strong rhyme and rhythm in the poem is reminiscent of a drumbeat or death march. It increases the tension in an already dramatic poem. The uncle dismisses the threat as "follies that subside". However, he still fears for his "glass". The fact that he says, "none as yet dare lift an arm" implies that he believes that they may in time. The speaker ends the poem with a warning about how his generation must guard the treasures of "our kind". I thought this poem was a clever insight into the minds of those who hold the power in the world. It created vivid pictures for me and I was disappointed when it came to an end.

A poem that deals with change and power in a slightly less dramatic way is 'Living in Sin'. This poem really spoke to me because I could easily relate to it. As a big fan of the movies, I am consistently bombarded by idealised depictions of love that would probably be impossible to recreate in real life. Rich's poem gave me an insight into the difference between our romantic expectations and the reality of everyday life.

The poem tells the story of a woman who decides to live with her boyfriend. From the first lines of the poem, we realise that things are far from perfect: "She had thought the studio would keep itself;/No dust upon the furniture of love." It is clear that the woman had not even considered the mundane realities of domestic life. She feels guilty about her resentment of domestic chores because in that society it was "half heresy" not to embrace what was seen as 'women's work'. I enjoyed the wry humour in the poem as the woman is disturbed by the reality of her new life when "a pair of beetle-eyes would fix her own". The pressure on women to conform is conveyed by the fact that her "minor demons" jeer her as she cleans the apartment.

It is interesting that the man whom the woman is tending to seems very far from a romantic hero. In fact, he hardly seems worthy of her. He fails to see the problems in the house. He is lethargic and lacks personality. She "writhes" under "the milkman's tramp", a metaphor for life and even though "by evening she is back in love again", it is not as "wholly" as before. I believe this poem acts as a warning to women everywhere to beware of slipping into a life of domesticity where their needs become subservient to those of others.

Another poem that deals with relationships is 'From a Survivor'. This poem is a lot more directly personal than 'Living in Sin'. Rich uses the first person in this poem and it is obvious that this is about her failed marriage to Alfred Conrad. After seventeen years of marriage, the couple separated. Months after their separation, Conrad committed suicide. This poem spoke to me because it is very sad and I think it was courageous of Rich to publish it.

The poem expresses itself simply and the language used is almost conversational. Rich reflects on the "pact of men and women in those days". The use of the word "pact" suggests some sort of battle, perhaps, referring to the shifting balance of power between the sexes at the time. Rich shared the view of all newly weds that herself and her husband were "special" and could withstand the "failures of the race".

The poem addresses the fact that her husband is now "wastefully dead". There is real pathos in the lines: 'Your body is as vivid to me/As it ever was: even more since my feeling for it is clearer'.

Now that their relationship is over and he is dead, Rich can assess what they had together. When they initially married, the status between man and wife was unequal. The husband was a "god" with the "power" over his wife. This poem really interests me on many levels. It is a very personal reflection on Rich's life but it also documents a life that has been left behind. I believe, as a result of pioneering women like Rich, our generation will not suffer such inequalities in our marital relationships.

In many of her earlier poems Rich gives the impression that she is at the mercy of elements that she can't quite control. In 'Storm Warnings', for example, Rich, by using a sustained extended metaphor, portrays the weather as a powerful force for change that threatens her fragile home. All she can do is close the windows and lock the doors against the storm that is brewing outside. As the poem points our, even with our fancy new-fangled technologies and our weather reports, we are unable to control the weather. We might be able to predict what is going to happen, but we are powerless to prevent it happening. Time and darkness are two other forces that we are unable to control. She also seems to suggest that there are elements of our own lives that we are powerless to change also. As Rich points out: 'Weather abroad / And weather in the heart alike come on / Regardless of prediction'. By this she seems to be talking about the depression and other moods that we suffer from throughout our lives.

Rich wrote 'Power' in 1974. From the beginning of that decade, she had devoted her life increasingly to feminism. Certainly, the conflict of an influential woman existing in a patriarchal society is explored in the poem. The poem first interested me because Marie Curie was famous and known to me for her dedication to science and the priceless discoveries she had made during her life. She was a fascinating woman who was the first person ever to win two Nobel prizes for her discovery of the radioactive elements plutonium and radium. Her work with these elements led to her eventual death from leukaemia.

The poem follows a 'stream of consciousness' method that I found both challenging and interesting. It opens with the discovery of, "a hundred-year-old cure for fever or melancholy a tonic". This bogus "cure" contrasts with the real cures Curie found in her research.

I was really moved by the description of Curie's suffering. Rich conveys a vivid picture of the scientist's "body" being "bombarded" by radiation, her eyes developing "cataracts" and her skin "cracked and suppurating". The final image of Curie being "unable" to "hold a test-tube or pencil" is particularly poignant.

There is a sense that she was forced to deny "her wounds" because they came "from the same source as her power". It is highly ironic that the work that Curie did made her both famous and sick. One wonders if Rich is making a broader political point here. Is she saying that in a male dominated world, a woman must make serious sacrifices to be successful? The poem brought to mind the problems that many women who have both children and demanding jobs experience today. There is always a sacrifice that has to be made in some way. Whatever the ultimate message, this poem is a powerful testament to both Marie Curie and Rich's powers both as scientist and poet.

Rich said that she had written, "directly and overtly as a woman, out of a woman's body and experience". Her work was both challenging and thought provoking. I was continually excited and surprised by her unusual perspectives and striking imagery.

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Hidden Riches in The Poetry of Adrienne Rich

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Adrienne Rich, perhaps more than any other contemporary poet, crystallised in her work and life, the consciousness of modern women. Her poems are, in this respect, overtly feminist in their outlook. Her poems are confessional in that they often draw from her own life experience. While many poets tend to do this, Rich is...

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When revising Adrienne Rich, here are some of the key quotes that you should know from each poem:

'prance across a screen'

'They do not fear'

'fingers fluttering through her wool'

'The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band / Sits heavily'

'her terrified hands will lie / still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by'

'prancing, proud and unafraid'

'The Uncle Speaks in the Drawing Room'

'standing sullen in the square'

'talked in bitter tones'

'held and fingered stones'

'Certain frailties of glass'

'Not that missiles will be cast'

'the keeping of our kind'

'We stand between the dead glass-blowers / and murmurings of missile-throwers'

'in the earth deposits'

'one bottle amber perfect a hundred year old / cure for fever or melancholy a tonic / for living on this earth'

'she must have known she suffered from radiation sickness'

'It seems she denied to the end / the source of' the cataracts on her eyes'

'denying / her wounds / denying / her wounds came from the same source as her power'

'knowing better than the instrument / What winds are walking overhead'

'walk from window to closed window, watching'

'a silent core of waiting'

'this polar realm'

'Weather abroad / And weather in the heart alike come on / Regardless of prediction.'

'all the mastery of elements'

'Time in the hand is not control of time'

'These are the things that we have learned to do / Who live in troubled regions.'

'no dust upon the furniture of love'

'A plate of peares, / a piano with a Persian shawl'

'Not that at five each separate stair would write / under the milkman's tramp'

'a pair of beetle-eyes would fix her own'

'Meanwhile, he, with a yawn, / sounded a dozen notes upon the keyboard'

'jeered by the minor demons'

'she awoke sometimes to feel the daylight coming / like a relentless milkman up the stairs.'

'Giants, the roofwalkers, / on a listing deck, the wave / of darkness about to break / on their heads.'

'The sky / is a torn sail'

'exposed, larger than life, / and about to break my neck.'

'Was it worth while to lay - / with infinite exertion - / a roof I can't live under?'

'A life I didn't choose / chose me'

'I'm naked'

'Trying to Talk with a Man'

'Out in this desert we are testing bombs'

'this condemned scenery'

'What we've had to give up to get here'

'surrounded by a silence / that sounds like the silence of the place / except that it came with us'

'Out here I feel more helpless / with you than without you'

'you look at me like an emergency'

'your eyes are stars of a different magnitude / they reflect lights that spell out: EXIT'

'talking of danger / as if it were not ourselves / as if we were testing anything else.'

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When revising Adrienne Rich, here are some of the key quotes that you should know from each poem: 'prance across a screen' 'They do not fear' 'fingers fluttering through her wool' 'The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band / Sits heavily' 'her terrified hands will lie / still ringed with

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STYLE
Early Poems:

Formal and consciously distanced from her subject matter

Stanzas are measured and regular, often with rhyming patterns

Language is formal, fitting into regular stanzas of iambic pentameter

Diction is simple, often monosyllabic

MAIN POINTS

About someone living in a storm region and also the metaphorical storms that blow inside of us

The world around Rich is in a state of unrest - Cold War etc.

Just like the storm, these wars are a force much greater than our human powers, that while it can be measured and even predicted, it is out of our control (paradox)

The weather represents an interior state. "Weather abroad and weather in the heart." Neither can be controlled.

The lighting of candles reminds reminds us of the powerful failure caused by a storm. When a storm breaks, all the comforts of modern civilisation seem puny against it's elemental force.

We can prepare ourselves as much as possible for the iminent arrival of a storm, but we are powerless to stop its arrival and the destruction it can cause

We have all felt powerless in situations beyond our control, whether it is delays at an airport, facing an exam or waiting for hospital test results.

Rich captures the unease we all experience in these situations as she moves restlessly about - "I leave the book."

She calmly states how people have learnt to deal with these tragedies - "These are the things we have learnt to do, we who live in troubled regions."

POEM 2 - AUNT JENNIFER'S TIGERS POEM 4 - TRYING TO TALK WITH A MAN POEM 5 - DIVING INTO THE WRECK
MAIN POINTS

The speaker explores her own inheritance and past but also speaks for all women who have been disempowered, sidelined and written out of history. This poem is her story but could also be read as a journey into the subconscious

An image goes far beyond the narrative to explore essential concerns

The poem is built on the powerful use of sustained metaphors. The 'wreck' presents images of loss, of things buried deep, and covered over - it may be seen to be symbolic of women over thousands of years of patriarchal rule

The 'dive' may be seen as a metaphoric quest to find the early truths of male/ females relationships; as a journey to find a time before 'His' and 'Hers' dominated how we think about the world

The poet has reached a point in her life where she is questioning, challenged assumptions and situations that she is uncomfortable with.

She is prepared to go deeper in search of the truth and the image of diving into the wreck already signals that what she'll find there is something broken

The book of myths represents a male - dominated world and contains traditional views of gender roles

What the wreckage is a metaphor for is never answered explicitly and the poem is all the more effective because of it. We can interpret it in our own way and relate it to our own lives

The merging of the human speaker with the mythical merman and mermaid is not only an interesting surreal touch but it is the moment when truth meets myth - allows us to contemplate how each one of us embody male and female qualities

This poem is a vivid, memorable, sensuous journey - explore many issue and affirms woman's role, woman's courage and womanhood

MAIN POINTS

This poem is quite confessional. It is honest, open and personal, telling us how she felt when she first married and how she feels how that her marriage is over

This is a confessional poem from a female perspective where Rich sets out how naive she and her husband were when they married

Looking back almost twenty years after marrying, she sees how her life has changed, or rather how she has changed her life

Her marriage is over, her husband is 'wastefully dead.'

Now that her marriage is over she can see him objectively, can reflect on what his 'body could and could not do.'

She has had the courage to change, to leave the unhappy marriage and now she says her life is 'a succession of brief amazing movements each one making possible the next.' She has discovered a whole range of new experiences

The passing of time has changed the speaker's life and her understanding of the marriage pact

The poem is divided into ten parts which could be said to suggest fragmentation, loss, fragility, a feeling of tentativeness

Her husband didn't survive

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STYLE Early Poems: Formal and consciously distanced from her subject matter Stanzas are measured and regular, often with rhyming patterns Language is formal, fitting into regular stanzas of iambic pentameter Diction is simple, often monosyllabic MAIN POINTS About someone living in a storm region and also the metaphorical storms that blow inside of us The world around Rich is in a state of unrest - Cold War etc.

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B 4

The poems of Adrienne Rich spoke to me in a powerful way. She was definitely one of the most original and thought provoking poets on my course. Rich speaks for both herself and her generation in the throes of great change. The poems that I have studied represent many of the new ideas that emerged during her life. Not only do I find these ideas interesting, as a woman, but I believe that I have benefited directly from them.

'Aunt Jennifer's Tigers' speaks to me on many levels. It is an overtly feminist poem exploring the position of married women in society. However, it is also a great piece of writing. Rich creates contrast for maximum effect; the tigers are "proud and unafraid" unlike Aunt Jennifer who is "terrified". The nervousness of the aunt is perfectly conveyed through sound and movement; her "fingers" are "fluttering through her wool". Her creativity and personality is being suppressed by the marriage she is in: "The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band
Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand."

There is a sense that her marriage is 'weighing' her down. The dominance of her husband is suggested through the capitalisation of "Uncle". It is clear that this marriage is an unhappy one; even when her aunt is dead she is "still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by". Unfortunately, even though this poem was written over fifty years ago, I can still recognise women like Aunt Jennifer.

However, the poem is not completely pessimistic. I think it does a lot to celebrate the potential of women. Aunt Jennifer may have been repressed and timid but she produced tigers that were "proud and unafraid". These tigers live on beyond her death. I think this poem hints at the changing position of women that we see today.

The threat of change is evoked beautifully in 'The Uncle Speaks in the Drawing Room'. Unsurprisingly, this poem is taken from Rich's collection called 'Change of World'. The arrogance of the speaker is displayed in his dismissal of the protesters as a "mob". Like 'Aunt Jennifer's Tigers', the dominant figure is the "uncle". I believe he is a symbol of a patriarchal society that is class-ridden and full of privilege. References to the "drawing room" and "crystal vase and chandelier" reinforce this idea of an ostentatious, wealthy world removed from the common people.

I felt the anger of the mob as they "talked in bitter tones" and "fingered stones". Alliteration is used to great effect as Rich describes the "sullen stare" of the crowd. The strong rhyme and rhythm in the poem is reminiscent of a drumbeat or death march. It increases the tension in an already dramatic poem. The uncle dismisses the threat as "follies that subside". However, he still fears for his "glass". The fact that he says, "none as yet dare lift an arm" implies that he believes that they may in time. The speaker ends the poem with a warning about how his generation must guard the treasures of "our kind". I thought this poem was a clever insight into the minds of those who hold the power in the world. It created vivid pictures for me and I was disappointed when it came to an end.

A poem that deals with change and power in a slightly less dramatic way is 'Living in Sin'. This poem really spoke to me because I could easily relate to it. As a big fan of the movies, I am consistently bombarded by idealised depictions of love that would probably be impossible to recreate in real life. Rich's poem gave me an insight into the difference between our romantic expectations and the reality of everyday life.

The poem tells the story of a woman who decides to live with her boyfriend. From the first lines of the poem, we realise that things are far from perfect: "She had thought the studio would keep itself;
No dust upon the furniture of love."

It is clear that the woman had not even considered the mundane realities of domestic life. She feels guilty about her resentment of domestic chores because in that society it was "half heresy" not to embrace what was seen as 'women's work'. I enjoyed the wry humour in the poem as the woman is disturbed by the reality of her new life when "a pair of beetle-eyes would fix her own". The pressure on women to conform is conveyed by the fact that her "minor demons" jeer her as she cleans the apartment.

It is interesting that the man whom the woman is tending to seems very far from a romantic hero. In fact, he hardly seems worthy of her. He fails to see the problems in the house. He is lethargic and lacks personality. She "writhes" under "the milkman's tramp", a metaphor for life and even though "by evening she is back in love again", it is not as "wholly" as before. I believe this poem acts as a warning to women everywhere to beware of slipping into a life of domesticity where your needs become subservient to others.

Another poem that deals with relationships is 'From a Survivor'. This poem is a lot more directly personal than 'Living in Sin'. Rich uses the first person in this poem and it is obvious that this is about her failed marriage to Alfred Conrad. After seventeen years of marriage, the couple separated. Months after their separation, Conrad committed suicide. This poem spoke to me because it is very sad and I think it was courageous of Rich to publish it.

The poem expresses itself simply and the language used is almost conversational. Rich reflects on the "pact of men and women in those days". The use of the word "pact" suggests some sort of battle, perhaps, referring to the shifting balance of power between the sexes at the time. Rich shared the view of all newly weds that herself and her husband were "special" and could withstand the "failures of the race".

The poem addresses the fact that her husband is now "wastefully dead". There is real pathos in the lines:

"Your body is as vivid to me
As it ever was: even more
since my feeling for it is clearer".

Now that their relationship is over and he is dead, Rich can assess what they had together. When they initially married, the status between man and wife was unequal. The husband was a "god" with the "power" over his wife. This poem really interests me on many levels. It is a very personal reflection on Rich's life but it also documents a life that has been left behind. I believe, as a result of pioneering women like Rich, my own generation will not suffer such inequalities in our marital relationships.

All of Rich's poems spoke vividly to me but the time constraints of this examination will permit me to discuss just one more. Rich wrote 'Power' in 1974. From the beginning of that decade, she had devoted her life increasingly to feminism. Certainly, the conflict of an influential woman existing in a patriarchal society is explored in the poem. The poem first interested me because I had learned about Marie Curie in my science class. She was a fascinating woman who was the first person ever to win two Nobel prizes for her discovery of the radioactive elements plutonium and radium. Her work with these elements led to her eventual death from leukaemia.

The poem follows a 'stream of consciousness' method that I found both challenging and interesting. It opens with the discovery of "a hundred-year-old cure for fever or melancholy a tonic". This bogus "cure" contrasts with the real cures Curie found in her research.

I was really moved by the description of Curie's suffering. Rich conveys a vivid picture of the scientist's "body" being "bombarded" by radiation, her eyes developing "cataracts" and her skin "cracked and suppurating". The final image of Curie being "unable" to "hold a test-tube or pencil" is particularly poignant.

There is a sense that she was forced to deny "her wounds" because they came "from the same source as her power". It is highly ironic that the work that Curie did made her both famous and sick. One wonders if Rich is making a broader political point here. Is she saying that in a male dominated world, a woman must make serious sacrifices to be successful? The poem brought to mind the problems that many women who have both children and demanding jobs experience today. There is always a sacrifice that has to be made in some way. Whatever the ultimate message, this poem is a powerful testament to both Marie Curie and Rich's powers as a poet.

Rich said that she had written "directly and overtly as a woman, out of a woman's body and experience". The fact that I am a woman helped me to relate to her but her ability to speak to me went far beyond shared gender. Her work was both challenging and thought provoking. I was continually excited by her unusual perspectives and striking imagery. It has been a pleasure to study her poetry.

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Leaving Cert. English (Higher) 2008: Paper 2 Poetry B4

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B 4 The poems of Adrienne Rich spoke to me in a powerful way. She was definitely one of the most original and thought provoking poets on my course. Rich speaks for both herself and her generation in the throes of great change.

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This Man Survived Over 2 Months Lost At Sea | 76 Days Adrift | I Shouldn't Be Alive S4 EP6 | Wonder

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paper one composition. White vision the story of the pigeon who saved lives in WW2

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paper one composition. White vision the story of the pigeon who saved lives in WW2

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Contributed by

People in story:

Ted Southern

Location of story:

Shetlands

Background to story:

Royal Air Force

Article ID:

A2545229

Contributed on:

21 April 2004

Part of RAF Coastal Command operated from the Shetland Islands, using Catalinas to patrol the northern sea routes looking for U Boats returning to Germany. The crews used to go out on 22 hour missions, searching for and, if possible, sinking any U Boats. As each plane ws ready to leave the crew collected two pigeons from the lofts, just as a fail-safe in case the radios packed up or any emergencies arose. In October 1942, Ted Southern was asked to sustitute for another crew member on a mission, so he was not flying with his own crew, which was always a little unsettling. Towards the end of the flight the weather turned really bad with gales and fog, so the Catalina was not allowed to land at Sullom Voe in the Shetlands, and was directed to Aberdeen, but there the storm conditions were just as bad and the plane was directed to Oban. With petrol running low, and finally running out, the plane was forced to ditch in the Atlantic. There was no radio contact, so the captain put messages as to their location into the leg capsules of each pigeon and sent them off. There were two life rafts, but accidentally one of them drifted off with only two men in it, which left too many men for the other raft, and everyone voted to stay on board the plane.
One of the pigeons never made it home, but White Vision flew 60 miles against the gale force wind with visibility down to about zero, and landed exhausted and with lots of feathers missing. From the message in the capsule, calculating wind speed and tidal drift, the RAF sent out the launch and came across the Catalina after about forty hours. As the last man jumped the gap between the tossing plane and the launch, the plane immediately sank, as though someone or something had been holding it up until that moment. The two men who had drifted off were picked up later, with the result that White Vision was responsible for saving 11 men, and was awarded the Dicken Medal, one of about 33 pigeons to be honoured in this way. White Vision was bred by Fleming Brothers of Motherwell, and she lived until 1953. How many other people can say that they owe their existence to a pigeon? If she had not reached her loft, the crew would have drowned, Ted Southern would not have survived and married my Mum and I wouldn't be here writing this.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.

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Saved by a Pigeon: The Story of White Vision

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Contributed by People in story: Ted Southern Location of story: Shetlands Background to story: Royal Air Force Article ID: A2545229 Contributed on: 21 April 2004 Part of RAF Coastal Command operated from the Shetland Islands, using Catalinas to patrol the northern sea routes looking for U Boats returning to Germany.

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article on the context of the spinning heart

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article on the context of the spinning heart

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Eileen Battersbyreviews The Spining Heart by Donal Ryan Doubleday Ireland/Lilliput, 156pp, £10.99

Lives undone by the economic disaster fill the news pages and may well be too close to personal daily experience to encourage any interest in reading fictional variations on a reality now shared by so many. Donal Ryan's precise and evocative debut, which could as easily have taken the form of a script or a screenplay, not only tells the individual stories of a group of characters inhabiting the margins of smalltown and rural Ireland - the two are not quite the same - but also looks at a society in turmoil. An admittedly familiar picture emerges.

Here is an Ireland of half-built housing estates and broken promises as well as disgruntled youth contemplating Australia rubbing shoulders with the despairingly middle aged. Filling the role of bewildered local hero is Bobby Mahon. Regarded by some as a safe pair of hands, for a young single mother on whose incomplete house he is working he is an unsuspecting object of lust and eventually becomes a source of gossip. Yet the emotionally vulnerable though physically imposing Bobby remains a battered fragment of old-style honour.

That sense of honour sustains this remarkable book, which could easily have developed into little more than a timely polemic. Instead it is a textured account of a community as it was during a brief moment of time, a summer in the very recent past, a past that is very much the present. It appears that all of the characters, however damaged or deluded they may be, still retain some semblance of goodness or, at the very least - as in the case of Frank, Bobby's nasty father - a vague sense that such a thing endures, if only for others.

The old man continues to exist, much to Bobby's resentment. "My father still lives back the road past the weir in the cottage I was reared in. I go there every day to see is he dead and every day he lets me down. He hasn't yet missed a day of letting me down."

Ironically, Bobby, the central presence in the book, as he is in the community, is one of the less compelling narrators in a work of highly convincing characters. Ryan has created 21 largely distinct voices. Here are people with very specific fears and secrets.

At no time does the book fall into the easy trap of being merely a set of short stories that have been presented as a novel. The Spinning Heart is far more than a series of loosely linked narratives. The various elements fuse as one. Ryan's attention to detail achieves an artistic cohesion that is vital and so often overlooked in far longer books that are presented as novels yet merely consist of stories, often quite lengthy, sharing scant if any connection with each other.

The individual situations described, featuring crooked employers, bullying fathers and doomed relationships in which sexual power shifts are introduced when traditional roles become undermined, may seem typical, yet the characters are not stereotypes. Vasya, a Russian, had come to work in Ireland when there was employment. He describes the physical differences he first noticed: "There is no flatness in this land . . . the horizon is close and small."

As but one of several workers cheated by a local contractor, the colourfully named Pokey Burke, Vasya is philosophical. "I had just finished shoring the foundations of a large house that would never be built," he recalls, when he was approached by Burke declaring: "I have great time for you, you're a fabbeless worker . . . I know I owe you a few bob." Ryan's ear for speech as spoken is accurate and he often makes effective use of it. True to Vasya's laconic delivery, Ryan allows the Russian to remark in passing, as if giving evidence in a courtroom. "I don't know what fabbeless is."

Probably the most unusual character is Trevor, a Montessori teacher and the son of a man with schizophrenia. "My father split in two, and then fell to pieces." Trevor has his own problems and is obsessed with his health. "I'm dying. I'm sure of it. One day soon my heart will just stop dead."

His mind never rests. His monologue achieves a virtuosic quality that Ryan also reaches in the extraordinary after-death speech delivered by Frank, with its harrowing image of the clever child he once was being beaten by his own father, who was outraged by the young Frank's success in a classroom quiz.

For all the harshness of language and the often brutal experiences, The Spinning Heart is unexpectedly tender, particularly in the handling of a kidnapping with a difference or the description of a father cutting the lawns of the empty houses in the ghost estate where his daughter lives. He is driven by love but also by a concern for appearances and his frustration with the rogue developers.

In the way that Kevin Barry's bravura comedy City of Bohane is a poignant love story, Ryan's prism of life and lives is compellingly humane. While never matching Barry's anarchic lyricism - which draws such wonderful effect from his jaunty prose, with its at times quasi-Elizabethan syntax, echoing Anthony Burgess's similar flourishes in A Clockwork Orange (1962) - Ryan's more conventional use of language, from the formal to the profane, sustains his novel of inner thoughts. These candid voices, often confessional, ensure that his novel lives though the hopes, regrets, fears and fury of battered if defiant speakers. In the recent collection Forensic Songs, by Mike McCormack, a far more experienced writer than Ryan, only one of the 12 stories, and by far the finest, The Man from God Knows Where, arrives at a similar mood to that of Ryan's book. McCormack's story, written in the third person, has depth and confidence. As with The Spinning Heart, it is underpinned by an awareness of community.

Earlier this year Keith Ridgway's Hawthorn and Child made London come alive in both public and private contexts. Ryan has achieved something similar in an Irish setting. He is looking both to and beyond Marina Carr's early plays in articulating a sense of a community's local rather than national shared history. The Spinning Heart is rooted in place - no bad thing. But it also draws its substance from tragedies and scandals. This is an exciting, relevant and believable contemporary novel about the lost and the wounded that listens to the present without discarding either the sins of the fathers or the literary legacy of the past.

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Eileen Battersbyreviews The Spining Heart by Donal Ryan Doubleday Ireland/Lilliput, 156pp, £10.99 Lives undone by the economic disaster fill the news pages and may well be too close to personal daily experience to encourage any interest in reading fictional variations on a reality now shared by so many.

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An analysis.

Maeve Mulrennan

"It was go home or die, and home was an oblivion that was at least reversible." (Barrett, 2012)

"What remains is defined by what is absent." (Trigg, p.88)

Rural Ireland after the economic crash of 2008 has been the subject matter for two contemporary Irish writers, Colin Barrett and Donal Ryan. Their respective works Young Skins and The Spinning Heart shed light on the figure of the disillusioned, internally-exiled male in rural Ireland. Both works are informed by the collective trauma and memory in a fractured society. The changing world has problematised the political, social and cultural bonds to the land. Irish male identity is in particular trouble as Ryan and Barrett's works deconstruct a mostly internalised response to external disaster. Multiple perspectives and the episodic nature of Donal Ryan's 2012 novel The Spinning Heart and Colin Barrett's 2013 short story collection Young Skins are rooted in the national identity crisis in twenty-first century Ireland. While there are limitations in both authors' choice in utilising multiple character perspectives, it does accurately represent the fractured post-Celtic Tiger psychogeography of rural Ireland. The internalised sense of self in Ryan's and Barrett's characters create an accurate reflection of the collective trauma and fallout of the 2008 economic crash.

What is most arresting about Ryan's The Spinning Heart is the raw grief and devastation seeping from each of the stories of twenty one interconnected characters inhabiting a small town in County Tipperary. There are also two characters absent but who have left permanent marks on the town. Builder Pokey Burke's charade of profitable business has been revealed as a lie. Also absent is Johnsey Cunliffe, main character of Donal Ryan's other novel, The Thing About December, set in 2001. Cunliffe's refusal to buy into the Celtic Tiger property bubble resulted in the community turning against him, the aftershock of which is felt in The Spinning Heart. These two opposing characters personify the negative aspect of the Celtic Tiger. This essay will argue that because of the twenty one perspectives coming together within the shadow of Burke and Cunliffe the complex and traumatised Irish ethnoscape is revealed.

The narrative of The Spinning Heart is structured around multiple perspectives, with each character's point of view contained within one chapter. As the book unfolds, this episodic, soap-opera style of plot development through the eyes of different characters firmly connects people to place, and their feelings of what is going on defines the overall narrative. The collective trauma of the recession is the umbrella under which twenty one individual narratives are situated. The novel begins with the voice of the protagonist, Bobby Mahon. His character reveals to the reader the shock of the economic crash and links this to the death of his father. From here the reader is accustomed to the marrying of private and public and the blurring of these into a complicated narrative. The final chapter is voiced by Bobby's wife Triona. At the close of the novel, the reader has a different understanding of the character of Bobby. The author uses this character to show what a good man looks like; one that other characters are measured by. However, the last line of the novel: "I just said oh love; oh love, what matters now? What matters only love?" (Ryan, 2012, p.156), is at odds with the realist language of the rest of the novel. Although other existential questions are asked of different characters in the novel, the absence of and low value of love in The Spinning Heart make Triona's questions seem hollow. The vital moment of the novel is not connected to the plot of Bobby's father being murdered or a missing child. The vital moment is stretched out over the twenty one perspectives, stretched over the space of this village. Each character's dissatisfaction with their life is brought to a head by the economic collapse. In Spacing Ireland: Place, Culture and Society, the editors speak in the introduction about the rise of the Celtic Tiger being a framework for a new national identity, post-Good Friday Agreement and after the series of revelations in the 1990s about the Catholic Church which contributed to its loss of power in Ireland (Crowley & Linehan, 2013). The new national narrative was one of success, of rags-to-riches. Ireland was seen both locally and internationally as a serious player in the 21st Century economy. The Celtic Tiger was something to be proud of but it also gave the nation a sense of freedom and possibility. The same nation whose morality had been governed by the Catholic Church since the writing of the Irish Constitution was now relatively free from its dogma. However this freedom manifested mostly in consumerism, both on a small scale and a large scale with what eventually became the property boom and bust. Fintan O'Toole has analysed the effect of the Celtic Tiger on Irish identity:

...one the one hand seems too connected to too many conflicting loyalties of place and on the other seems to melt away into the sea, as if the coastline that surrounds the country was merely a thin membrane that lets in all the flotsam and jetsam of consumer culture and lets out a constant flow of people. (O'Toole, 1997, p.12)

Ryan's characters are utilised to demonstrate that the unexpected, vital moment is that they have been simultaneously the victims and victimisers in their own downfall. Although there is some reference to politicians and banks, it is the character's' own actions in the shadow of the two absent characters, Johnsy and Pokey, that create the trauma. The repetition of dismayed characters at a remove from society, in the multi-perspective, episodic structure, give the reader the impression of a community of isolated ghosts, not interacting with each other in the way they want to. The author does not use dialogue in the novel; it is all monologues, which further emphasise the disconnectedness of the characters from each other. This technique also put the reader in a very specific role: they are listening to the almost confessional thoughts of each character. The reader finishes the book knowing the most about these people but of course is unable to influence what happens next. Each character builds an image of her or his own landscape, which all adds up to a multi-layered sense of place. The small village, the ghost estate, the building site, the run-down widower's cottage, are familiar images to the Irish reader. The world outside the village is referenced and sometimes visited by the characters: the dole office in Limerick City, the city crèche that caters for the closed Dell factory, and of course the plains of Siberia, where character Vasya is from. His reminiscence of the open plains and nomadic tribes sits in direct opposition to the Irish landscape. No one owns the lands where his nomadic family live: there is no race to own overpriced houses. He finds the landscape of his new Irish home disorienting, but cannot return home as the death of his brother means that home has dissolved for him. He is stuck in a limbo where he is not local but not fully foreign either. He has been scarred by the economic crash as much, if not more, than the other characters. This trauma aligns Vasya with his Irish neighbours.

The rural setting of the novel reveals a microcosm of Irish society. The city is referenced, but the countryside is where other people live. The isolation of the village emphasises the powerlessness of the community. The decision makers - politicians, bankers, the IMF, are elsewhere: "Ireland is a diaspora, and as such is both a real place and a remembered place...Ireland is often something that happens elsewhere." (O'Toole, 1997, p.12). The Spinning Heart was published in 2012, four years on from the September 2008 date when Lehman Brothers in New York closed and is generally seen has the peak of the crash. By 2012, the world had seen the Occupy movement, the Arab Spring and the intervention of the IMF into Ireland. The sense of distrust and betrayal with the Irish Government and local government by the Irish people had continued through elections and into new leaders. Meanwhile, Irish people were being worn down with wage cuts, unemployment and emigration. The ghost estates, one of Donal Ryan's sites of trauma in The Spinning Heart, were a concrete monument to the follies of the Celtic Tiger. Empty houses became ruins even as people were being made homeless or being let down by the social care and health systems. The ghost estates are monuments to the people we thought we were; a post-religious state with a foot in the door of the global markets. However, as the identity of Ireland is ever shifting, what people had discovered by 2012 is that the sense of power that people felt during the Celtic Tiger years was imagined, and that real power lay elsewhere. The Spinning Heart accepts the view that Irish people had of themselves in 2012: the economic crash and the nation's compliance in creating an economic mirage was embarrassing but the real damage had been done elsewhere - by the people holding the power. In The Spinning Heart this is emphasised by the two absent characters and the blame is given to them. Firstly Johnsy was blamed for not selling land for development, with fatal consequences, and Pokey Burke is blamed for accepting inflated loans and not paying his workers' taxes. Of course characters such as Pokey Burke have done wrong. However, the consistent admiration for his foreman and protagonist of The Spinning Heart, Bobby Mahon, brushes over the fact that he was involved in a lot of decision making. It is referenced in the novel that Burke never made a decision without checking with him, and Denis, the Plant Hire boss, admitted to aligning himself with Mahon during meetings between them and Burke. However, Ryan places Mahon in the role of victim: a gentle giant and GAA star in the community.

Donal Ryan addresses the collective trauma of the recession in his novel. However what is more interesting to the reader is the connections and relationships between the characters. There are several isolated males in the book; some who are portraits of those left behind, firstly in the boom and then with emigration. They are the scars left on the landscape, along with the ghost estates and crumbling cottages. Ryan also shows the isolation of mother figures; one who lost a child to drowning and one who was a prostitute and now abandoned by her children. These mothers contrast with the other mothers in the book -there are several overbearing mothers, or mothers that did more damage than good - from sheltering the absent Johnsey and the Timmy, to the absent mother of Bobby who withered under her husband's cruelty and in doing so failed to protect Bobby. The treatment of Bobby and his mother by Frank Mahon is seen early on has justification for his death, and indeed, it is his murderer's fury over his own father that leads to his death. What is also shown by Ryan however is that the community were complicit in the cruelty of the father: although Bobby and his mother would flee from him at times, they always returned and there was never any legal intervention. This is further emphasised in Frank's admission that he too was treated cruelly by his own father. By 2012, when the book was published, the Irish identity had been complicated further by a succession of reports on institutional abuse. What was seen most clearly in the Ryan Report was that the non-clergy, in many cases, were aware of the systematic cruelty and denial of human rights in these institutions, but did nothing. Ryan successfully shows how doing nothing can do further damage - Bobby and his mother's agreement to become strangers to each other rather than leave Frank shows this. However, the absence of any religious figures in The Spinning Heart does not connect this explicitly to institutional abuse. Rather, it displays the attitudes still present, hangovers from being governed by a Catholic state for so long. Furthermore, the fact that the characters talk about each other rather than to each other shows the legacy of distrust and disconnectedness of the community which was briefly forgotten about during the Celtic Tiger years. This essay will now move on to discuss Colin Barrett's Young Skins and how it represents the internal exile of the young male in rural Ireland during the economic recession.

Colin Barrett's Young Skins is a collection of seven short stories, all from a male perspective. Six of the seven are set in the fictional Mayo town of Glanbeigh. The recurrence of place creates a sense of familiarity for the reader and allows Barrett to develop the characters' connections to place further. Calm With Horses is a novella-length story in the middle of the collection; the other six stories are almost a lead-in and a lead-out to this story, which stands aside both in its depth of characterisation and its violent plot. The collection begins with The Clancy Kid, which utilises motifs that recur in other stories. We see the first male double act of the collection: friendship is an antidote to the claustrophobia and isolation inherent for each character. In a podcast for the Irish Times, the author explains that these friendships are a way for characters to find their own networks and familial units, as there are hardly any nuclear family set ups in the Young Skins. Each character is in the process of reaching out (Barrett 2015b). It is possible to see that a certain paralysis in the characters, something greatly discussed regarding James Joyce's Dubliners, and can also be seen in a lot of John McGahern's work, where characters' paralysis or inaction is the core of the story. The initial story in Young Skins also begins with a lost child, and the final story ends with a funeral - echoing the journey of ageing and life also seen in Dubliners.

The main technical aspect of note in Young Skins is Barrett's use of language. Although the characters in each work have limited life experience, or in the character Arm's case in Calm with Horses, a singular kind of life experience, the language used by the author transcends these limitations. Barrett's successful use of poetic language has been remarked upon in reviews and interviews (Williams, 2015). Barrett has also talked about how the short story structure has more in common with poetic structures and play structure (Barrett 2015b). The combination of poetic structure and poetic language leads to images that are both harsh and rich; for example describing the Mayo coastline as a 'gnarled jawbone' (Barrett, 2013, p.3)

The violence in Calm with Horses is the unexpected element in Young Skins, emphasised further by being sandwiched between six other stories of relative non-violence or character-inaction. However what is most striking is not the murder in this story, but how the author utilises this plot point to unpeel and develop the main character Arm. It is Arm's inner exile and perception of his place within Glanbeigh and in his family that is of most interest. Upon the final death in the story, the reader is more concerned about the value of Arm's life and if it was a life well lived than the criminal or dramatic elements of the story. Through Barrett's characters the reader gets an insight into the multi-layered rural Ireland, post-Celtic Tiger. Young Skins does not address the economic crash in the same direct way as Donal Ryan's The Spinning Heart. However, it is acknowledged through recurring images of money - specifically pre-Euro coins and notes in Calm with Horses. The Irish punts - a symbol of Ireland's old identity - are useless: "'This is pounds,' Arm went on, 'this is no good. This money's gone. It's done.'" (Barrett, 2013, p.138). While the author does touch on the urge to emigrate and there are recurring images of small spaces and of people being trapped, most notably in the story Stand Your Skin; Young Skins explores the decision to stay, to live and be in a small town. While the author has said that emigration is a vital part of the Irish psyche (Barrett, 2015b), he has chosen not to write about emigrants, but about the young men that stayed, not just in Ireland but in rural Ireland. The trauma of the economic crash is therefore not as explicit as in The Spinning Heart, but it is there in the underlying structure of Glanbeigh. The first story in Young Skins says of the place:

My town is nowhere you have been, but you know its ilk. A roundabout off a national road, an industrial estate, a five-screen Cineplex, a century of pubs inside the square mile of the town's limits.(Barrett, 2013, p.3).

The post-Celtic Tiger male identity is revealed in each male character's own story but also as a collection the male psyche is shown. In an email interview, Barrett expressed his interest in how places, post-Celtic Tiger were negotiated by the young men that did not emigrate:

I was thinking about the type of person who sticks around, what consolations they might find in a place like Glanbeigh, in a place that is too familiar, finitely-horizoned and sort of moribund. And I like the countryside, and rural towns, which are becoming even more paradoxical and incongruous places. (Barrett, 2015a).

The friendship and connection in Young Skins is not seen in The Spinning Heart, where Ryan's characters orbit each other in isolated dismay. Young Skins' friendships and alternate families offer a way of getting through the national identity crisis. However Young Skins is not a utopian. Self doubt in the characters of this town is a microcosm of what is going on nationally. The image in The Clancy Kid of the titular character disappearing in the capital city sets the tone for the distrust and fear of what can happen beyond the aforementioned square mile of pubs in Glanbeigh.

Young Skins was published in Ireland in 2013, only a year after The Spinning Heart. However the inflammatory trauma of Ryan's Tipperary town has died down into a kind of acceptance in Barrett's Glanbeigh. Like the characters in The Spinning Heart, Barrett's characters are literally and figuratively miles from where the power is, and the people in power. What matters to the people of Glanbeigh is what happens there, not in Dublin or Europe. Barrett's description of places like Glanbeigh as being paradoxical and moribund is evidenced in the actions of his characters: "His stories are crowded with young men and women making a racket while going nowhere, with ambitions that don't really stretch past scoring the next high or kissing the next girl."(Williams, 2015). The moribund natures of towns like Glanbeigh; the fact that they do not matter to the power makers, to the international economy, is embedded in the place. The story Stand Your Skin, which is occupied by an isolated, anxious man that has been left behind, is quite close to the despair expressed by young male characters in Ryan's The Spinning Heart.

Young Skins closes with a funeral procession, with the characters, older than Barrett's other males, deciding on whether or not to join in with this ritual or not. Their own anxieties are revealed through recollection of their lives and regrets in them. By joining the procession they accept that what should be done is not the same as what one wants to do. Explicit thoughts on the recession are not addressed in Young Skins, and according to the author was not an aim of the collection (Barrett, 2015a). There is an assumption that the reader is familiar with this type of place from the first lines of the first story. It could be said therefore that the anxieties and claustrophobia of Glanbeigh is timeless, and has always been there. The readers' real-life knowledge of what has happened to small towns because of the economic crash goes beyond the Irish context: Barrett's collection has been lauded and awarded outside of Ireland, with the most glowing review coming from a place a pole apart from rural Ireland: the New York Times. The economic crash, claims Barrett, amplified what was already happening in rural Ireland:

The kind of people I was writing about in Young Skins have always been there, I think. The recession probably sharpened everyone's focus a little on just how depleted small towns and provincial and regional areas were becoming in the wake of recent economic devastation, but the recession likely only exacerbated a problem that was always already there (Barrett, 2015a).

It could be said that traces of Irish writer John McGahern's oeuvrecan be found in most Irish writing. However, this essay will look at McGahern's address of the internalised sense of self and its reflection of collective trauma regarding the new Irish state has carried through to the contemporary work discussed in this essay. It is also possible to see the inheritance of Joyce feeding through McGahern's work and into the contemporary works. The Joycean paralysis and subsequent epiphanies apparent in his short story collection Dubliners, referred to by Colin Barrett (Barrett, 2015b) is, claims writer Patrick Crotty, also evident in John McGahern's work:

...vivid presentation of situations in which consciousness is alert but incapable of action: a McGahern epiphany characteristically involves heightened sensitivity to conditions over which the subject has no control. (Crotty, pg45).

His characters do not hold power; it lies elsewhere, as in Ryan's and Barrett's books. In an interview, John McGahern spoke of the disillusionment of men after the creation of the Irish Free State:

That was in a way, a prevalence - in that the dream didn't become the reality. A lot of it was confused with their youth which would end anyhow. It was also the most exciting and dramatic time of their lives. I think they had a kind of dream - ...- that they were bound together by something bigger than themselves. And then normal life restored itself and the Church and the medical profession got power. (Maher, 2001, p.78)

As can be seen here, the collective dream, of an Independent Ireland, and a new way of being, brought people together but ultimately this dream could not be fulfilled and the Church stepped in. McGahern speaks also of the medical profession - at the time an institution infiltrated by the Catholic Church also. In the 21st Century however, the Catholic Church could not fill the void left by the economic crash. Although still powerful, particularly in the educational system, it no longer held the morality of the nation in its power. Says Crotty of McGahern's characters: "His writing tends to seek out the inadequate, the mis- and the dis-placed, people whose unease in their particular circumstances is emblematic of a more general dilemma" (Crotty, 2005, pg.44).

Short stories by McGahern, collected in the 1992 publication Collected Stories demonstrate the paralysis of a nation marginalised by its own state create characters, plots and subsequently themes. Although not rooted in one particular town or city, his short stories are of the place, in the same way that Ryan and Barrett attempt to be with their works in 2012 and 2013. However, by writing in a way that immerses the reader in a certain place, a context, and with characters that seem familiar, McGahern is creating a microcosm in which the human condition can be deconstructed by the reader.

The deliberate open endedness of some of Barrett's characters, particularly in the short story Bait, allow the reader time and space to consider multiple possibilities. However the multi-perspective, episodic nature of The Spinning Heart does not allow the reader the same time and space to consider ambiguities and different possibilities within the work.

Donal Ryan and Colin Barrett have both, in their first published books, given contemporary readers a multi-layered deconstruction of the internal exile of the Irish male identity in post-Celtic Tiger rural Ireland. With Ryan, the multi-perspective structure of The Spinning Heart does lean more towards a scatter-gun approach, not resting on one character long enough to get past the initial knee-jerk reaction of his characters to the myth of the Celtic Tiger being dissolved. However, by utilising the recession as a framework in which characters are self-reflective, the structure is successful. Problems inherent in Irish society before the Celtic Tiger - the disillusion of the Free State as discussed by John McGahern, the reliance on the Catholic Church for moral guidance as discussed by McGahern and Fintan O'Toole - are amplified in The Spinning Heart once the myth of economic wealth is removed. As in McGahern, Ryan populates his novel with characters that are displaced, powerless or paralysed into non-action. The other constant in The Spinning Heart is the place. Over the course of the novel, and through multiple perspectives, the fictional setting is mapped for the reader. Neglected cottages surrounded by fields of brambles - a symbol of our move away from old rural Ireland are juxtaposed with the familiar monument to the Celtic Tiger: the ghost estate.
Bibliography
Colin Barrett's Young Skins, occupying the same setting and historical context as The Spinning Heart, offers a multi-perspective, multi-layered view of the internal exile of the Irish male identity in post-Celtic Tiger rural Ireland. The paralysis / epiphany structure, when paired with Barrett's poetic prose and harsh imagery create a world that allows for more subtlety and introspection of the characters, thus giving the reader more space to reflect and analyse. The examples of friendship and alternate family set-ups offer a possible way to console the self and a way to overcome the internal exile of young men in rural Ireland. Although problematic, when compared to the isolation of other characters in the collection and also in Donal Ryan's The Spinning Heart, it is possibly the only solution available.

Appadurai, Arjun, (1996), Modernity at Large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalizations. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Augé, Marc, (1992), Non Places: Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity. London & New York: Verso.

Barrett, Colin, (2015a) Re: Male Identity & the Celtic Tiger, email to Maeve Mulrennan ( maevemulrennan@gmail.com), 3 Aug [accessed 9 Aug 2015].

Barrett, Colin, (2015b), Irish Times Book Club, www.irishtimes.com, Dublin, 29 August 2015, < http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/the-book-club/podcast-the-book-club-meets-colin-barrett-author-of-young-skins-1.216257>.

Barrett, Colin, (2013), Young Skins, Dublin: The Stinging Fly Press.

Crotty, Patrick, (2005) "'All Toppers': Children in the Fiction of John McGahern", Irish University Review, Vol. 35, No.1, Special Issue: John McGahern (Spring - Summer 2005), pp. 42-57.

Cullen, E., (2009), 'Unprecedented growth, but for whose benefit?' Growth: The Celtic Cancer, why the global economy damages our health and society Féasta Review No.2. http://www.feasta.org/documents/review2/cullen.htm Accessed 9th July 2015

Ging, Debbie, (2009), "All Consuming Images: new gender formations in post-Celtic Tiger Ireland" Ging, D., Cronin, M., Kirby, P., (eds.) Transforming Ireland: Challenges, Critiques, Resources. Manchester: Manchester University Press 2009 www.doras.dcu.ie/4545/ accessed 9th August 2015

Hearne, R. (2015), 'The Silent Destruction of Community Growth' The Irish Examiner http://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/analysis/the-silent-destruction-of-community-growth-345068.html accessed 29 July 2015

Joyce, James (2012), Dubliners Dublin: O'Brien Press

Maher, Eamon, (2001), "Catholicism and National Identity in the Works of John McGahern", An Irish Quarterly Review, Vol. 90, no. 357 (Spring, 2001), pp. 72-83.

Massey, Doreen, (1991), "A Global Sense of Place." Marxism Today, June 1991, 24-31

McGahern, John, (1992), The Collected Stories, London: Faber & Faber.

Morisson, Valérie, (2011), "A People's Sense of Belonging: Dislocation in Post Celtic Tiger Art", Canadian Journal of Irish Studies Vol.37, No. 1-2, (2011) p.178-207

O'Callaghan, Cian, (2013), "Ghost Estates: Urban Geography after NAMA." in Spacing Ireland: Place, Culture and Society, eds. Caroline Crowley and Denis Linehan, Manchester: Manchester University Press.

O'Toole, Fintan, (1997), The Lie of The Land: Irish Identities. London And New York: Verso.

O'Toole, Fintan, (2010), Enough is Enough London: Faber & Faber.

Ryan, Donal, (2012), The Spinning Heart, Dublin: Doubleday Ireland.

Smyth, Gerry, (2012), "Irish Identity after the Celtic Tiger", Estudios Irlandeses, no. 7, 2012, pp.132-137

Trigg, Dylan, (2009), "The Place of Trauma: Memory, Hauntings, and the Temporality of Ruins" Memory Studies, vol.2, pp.87-101

Wilkinson, R., Pickett, K., (2009), The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger, New York: Bloomsbury Press.

Williams, John, (2015), "In Colin Barrett's 'Young Skins', A Small Irish Town's Aimless Denizens" New York Times March 12 2015 http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/13/books/in-colin-barretts-young-skins-a-small-irish-towns-aimless-denizens.html?_r=0 Accessed 9th July 2015

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An analysis. Maeve Mulrennan "It was go home or die, and home was an oblivion that was at least reversible." (Barrett, 2012) "What remains is defined by what is absent." (Trigg, p.88) Rural Ireland after the economic crash of 2008 has been the subject matter for two contemporary Irish writers, Colin Barrett and Donal Ryan.

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Leaving Cert Robert Frost Sample Essays #625Lab - Leaving Cert Notes and Sample Answers

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“Frost communicates rich insights into human experience using language that is both accessible and appealing.” Discuss this statement, supporting your answer with reference to the poetry of Robert Frost on your course. (2015) This is an essay from a current Leaving Cert student. It’s published under…

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As a young person, I feel suitably qualified to address this question. Frost's poetry contains much which would appeal to a young audience. His choice of subject matter is as relevant to us today as it was when it was written. The way he expresses his ideas is fresh and different, it is original. That is exactly what appeals to a younger audience.

A Frost poem, like many a young person, is a complex entity... just ask any parent! What may appear simple on the surface turns out to have hidden depth. "Tuft of flowers" and "Mending Wall" are perfect examples of this.

"Tuft of flowers" is a nature poem celebrating the beauty of a field, flowers and a brook. It is very atmospheric, the reader can't help but feel exposed to the glowingly warming sunlight of the endless field. However, the poem is a lot deeper. It isn't only good for making us, urban dwellers, engage with the beauty of nature. The major themes examined here are loneliness and isolation, all too familiar to the young audience. At the beginning the poet feels alone:
"And I must be, as he had been - alone, "As all must be", I said within my heart, "Whether they work together or apart."
But the butterfly, having lead the poet to discover a beautiful tuft of flowers, like a fire, made him rethink that. He then understood that we are all interconnected, that although there wasn't any persona message in leaving the flowers there, there are people in the world that think the same way as him. Thus, the poet concludes:
"Men work together," I told him from the heart, "Whether they work together or apart."
In "Mending Wall" the same theme is examined from a different angle. The notion of a wall separating people is explored. What is particularly attractive to young people is that the poet questions tradition here.

He asks: " Why do they {good fences} make good neighbours? Isn't it where there are cows?" The poet attempts to think it through, to decide who is right, much like a youthful mind faced with a choice. He comes to a conclusion that his neighbour "moves in darkness". But what is even more important that he doesn't insist as he must respect his neighbour's position regardless of what he thinks himself. "I'd rather he said it for himself". This teaches young people that they should question the notions that stem from the past but to not be insistent that other people change their views.

Another wonderful lesson is presented to a young audience is "The Road not Taken". This poem teaches is that choices must be made and how to relate to them after there is no way back.
"I took the one less travelled by, And that made all the difference."
This is obviously positive. The poet describes just how doubtful he was, how complicated it was to chose. The mood is one of regret and there is a sequence of contradiction in the poem. At first the poet admits that he took the less travelled road: "it was grassy and wanted wear," then he decides that they were really the same in that regard: "the passing there had worn them really about the same." In the end, in the last few lines of the poem he returns to his original opinion. I think that his shows that the poet is still unsure, he is regretful one minute but the next he decides that he was right... This is what all of us have done and because to young people this can be somewhat new and daunting, this poem helps one to understand the matter much better.

In "Out, out-" the poet returns to the theme of isolation. Their devotion to hard work isn't portrayed as a positive trait. The poet by contrasting the "buzz saw snarling and rattling" and the "five mountain ranges... under the sunset far into Vermont," condemns them of not being able to appreciate the beauty of nature.

This poem seems to be very cold and harsh. It is especially valuable to young people as it depicts the harsh reality without hiding anything. The pleading victims request is "answered" by a short, and yet, even more effective, "So." It is hard to decide on the correct interpretation of this, but certainly there is hardly any warmth to it. The callous nature of the depicted relationship between the boy and the rest of the family is emphasised by the fact that the boy, having just been tragically injured, is being looked after by a... "watcher!"

It peaks, of course, in the last two lines:
"No more to build on there. And they, since they Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs."
This is very sobering. But this also carries an important message - life does on - and, therefore, may be interpreted positively. This kind of depth of analysis, strength of opinion and variety of angles can provided a great template for dealing with a tough situation for inexperienced youth or at least something upon which to reflect.

So from the point of view of themes there is an enormous amount that can be learnt by a young reader. But this isn't the sole merit of Frost's poetry from a young audience's point of view.

The way he writes is also amazing. His syntax and onomatopoeia in "Out, out-" are invaluable to that poem. But in "Provide, provide" the rhyming pattern aaabbbccc, etc and the simple iambic rhythm attributes some kind of nursery rhyme quality to it. How young an audience are we talking about, I wonder? In any case, it is a hint at the fact that what is being discussed in that poem is so vitally important that it should be taught to little kids! The dark humour of the poem, however, returns us to the thought of how truly poignant is the fall of this lady, Abishag, depicted in the first verse. The cynical comment about having people who were paid to attend your funeral is probably the strongest image in this sequence:
"Better to go down dignified With boughten friendship at your side
"Mending Wall" is also saturated with striking imagery and is satirical rather than cynical. The wall is destroyed by frost, a well known fact, but the poet makes a subtle pun of his name. This attributes a very personal and honest touch to the poem. The activity that he and his neighbour are busy with is compared to "another kind of outdoor game, one on a side." This introduces a sharp contrast between the wall - an embodiment of isolation and a game, a symbol of interaction in this case, thus, emphasising the significance of the wall. There is a humorous touch in the lines:
"My apple trees will never get across And eat the cones under his pines".
The humour helps the young reader engage with the poem.

So, even though Frost died in 1963 at the ripe age of 89, his themes are eternal and universal, his style original and even captivating - thereby retaining a strong appeal for a young audience.

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Robert Frost Sample Essay: A Young Audience - Leaving Cert Notes and Sample Answers

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ROBERT FROST'S POETRY APPEALS TO A YOUNG AUDIENCE. Introduction As a young person, I feel suitably qualified to address this question. Frost's poetry contains much which would appeal to a young audience. His choice of subject matter is as relevant to us today as it was when it was written.

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Exploration

Our speaker is out in the woods without a map, and he doesn't know which path to take. But instead of turning tail and running back to where he came from, he chooses a path and forges on, willing t...

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Exploration Our speaker is out in the woods without a map, and he doesn't know which path to take. But instead of turning tail and running back to where he came from, he chooses a path and forges on, willing t...

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Some Personal Thoughts on ‘The Road not Taken’ by Robert Frost

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The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it …

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Study questions about The Road Not Taken. Study questions, discussion questions, essay topics for The Road Not Taken

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the road not taken by Robert frost

1. 1. BY ROBERT FROST

2. 2. About The Author  Robert Lee Frost was an American Poet. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life. A popular and often-quoted poet, Frost was honored frequently during his lifetime. His work frequently employed themes from the early 1900's rural life in New England.

3. 3. INTRODUCTION First published in 1916 , "The Road Not Taken" shows Frost at his best as a pastoral who combines rustic simplicity with hidden , indirect and clarity of style and language.

4. 4. TITLE 'The road' is the symbol of the choice made by us in life. Many times, we regret the choice we make but what is done once cannot be undone. Man regrets for what he has denied himself in life , rather than what he has chosen. Hence, the poet has given his poem the title "The Road Not Taken". The word "road" not only means "way", it also means "journey" or a "stage of journey". Here "road" does not signify any ordinary road, but functions a metaphor of a vital decision.

5. 5. SYMBOLISM  "Yellow" - The yellow coloring of the woods is representative of the light, hope, and promise that the speaker is standing before. His future is bright and stretches before him. Though both paths are equally lit, he must choose only one.  "Woods" - The poem is set in the woods because we get an image of a quiet, deserted place where the speaker is left alone to decide. There are no road signs or people to stop and ask for directions. Similarly, there are no signs in life designed to help people choose their path.

6. 6. "Roads" - The roads are symbolic of the paths we take in life. Every road leads to a specific place and the nature of one's destination depends entirely on the decisions that are made. We don't just arrive at a location; we make a series of choices that lead us there. "Morning" - The morning represents a new beginning and the endless possibilities the day ahead has to offer. Frost sets the poem in the morning to reveal that the speaker is in the early years of his life and his future is spread out before him.

7. 7. SUMMARY OF THE POEM  This poem talks about the choices one has to make in life and their consequences. One day while walking in a wooded area full of trees the poet comes to a place where he has to decide which road he should take. He starts debating over the choices as he realizes he cannot walk on both. However he decides to take the second path with the intention of travelling on the first some other time in future.

8. 8. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;

9. 9. The first stanza mean?  The speaker describes his position. He has been out for walking in the woods and comes in between the diversion of two roads, he stands there looking as far down each one as he can see. He would like to try out both, but doubts he could do that, so therefore he continues to look down the roads for a long time trying to make his decision about which road to take.

10. 10. Then took the other, as just as fair And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that, the passing there Had worn them really about the same,

11. 11. The second stanza means?  He looked down the first one "to where it bend in the undergrowth", and then the second one , and he decided to take the other path, because it seemed to have less traveled than the first. But then he goes on to say that they actually were very similarly worn. The second one that he took seems less traveled but as he thinks about it, he realizes that they were "really about the same". Not exactly the same but only "about the same".

12. 12. Made by- VANSHIKHA Class: IX B And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.

13. 13. What third stanza mean?  The third stanza continues with the cogitation about the possible differences between the two road. He had noticed that the leaves were both fresh fallen on them both and had not been walked on, but then again claims that maybe he would come back and also walk the first one sometimes, but he doubted he would be able to, because in life one thing leads to another and time is short.

14. 14. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

15. 15. What fourth stanza mean?  In this poem the word "difference" is taken in a positive way. But there is nothing in the poem that suggests that this difference signals a positive outcome. The speaker could not offer such information, because he has not lived the "difference" yet.  The other word that leads non-discerning readers astray is the word "sigh." By taking "difference" to mean a positive difference, they think that the sigh is one of nostalgic relief; however, a sigh can also mean regret. There is the "oh, dear" kind of sigh, but also the "what a relief" kind of sigh. Which one is it? We do not know. If it is the relief sigh, then the difference means the speaker is glad he took the road he did; if it is the regret sigh, then the difference would not be good, and the speaker would be sighing in regret.

16. 16. MESSAGE Of This Poem Robert Frost's poem " The road not taken" seems to hold out the mortal that life is a continuous journey full of divergence now and then. The important thing is to move on without looking back whether the choice of paths taken was right or wrong. The right or wrong are relative terms. We cannot get everything in life and have to make choices. Whatever direction in our life takes is determined by the choice made by us . In the journey of life, one can seldom come back to travel the 'roads' not taken earlier.

17. 17. Made by: RAGHAV PRIYAL SOLONI RAHUL JASNEET

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Published on the road not taken by Robert frost 1. BY ROBERT FROST 2. About The Author  Robert Lee Frost was an American Poet. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life. A popular and often-quoted poet, Frost was honored frequently during his lifetime.

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Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 - January 29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in America. His ...

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Trying to Talk With a Man By Adrienne Rich
Communication
The title suggests that this is a key issue, and the rest of the poem bears this out. And of course the
communication is seen in the context of a relationship, so most of what is said here can be said when
discussing the theme of relationship also.
The first overt reference to communication is "the language of love-letters" - suggesting a time when the
relationship and the communication within it was in a healthy state. However this is immediately followed
by a reference to the "language ... of suicide notes", which conveys a darker side to the relationship, a rather
different use of language. There is a reference to "silence" in line 19 - on the surface it's the silence of "the
ghost town" in the desert, but as "it came with us" it's also the silence between the couple. It seems an
uncomfortable silence, one they try to "blot ... out" by a lot of talk ("everything we were saying until now").
The title and the latter part of the poem suggest this talking merely avoids the main issue, that on the man's
part in particular it's small talk about matters on the surface ("You mention ... the equipment"), while she
wants to talk about the deep stuff ("I feel an underground river"). Even together they talk of public issues -
"we talk of people caring for each other/in emergencies", but what's absent is their caring for each other in
their personal relationship emergency. In fact he seems in something of a panic, looking at her "like an
emergency" - as she, rather that the deterioration of the relationship was the problem. He continues "talking
of the danger/as if it were not ourselves", in other words avoiding the personal issues, leading to her
frustration at "Trying to talk with a man".
Symbolism
Use of symbolism: Trying to Talk With a Man uses the bomb symbolism to deal with a relationship, which
suggests that the trouble must be severe. Literally, "testing bombs" is going on, but their relationship is also
being tested, though she thinks the man doesn't realise this - "as if we were testing anything but ourselves".
Nature imagery/symbolism is used - the action takes place in a desert, a "locus" or place often used to
suggest dryness and desolation, which seems to describe the state of the relationship, but it's a desert they
"meant to change the face of", suggesting that improving the relationship was part of the reason for going out
there in the first place - the desert is often used for retreat purposes - getting away from it all to renew
oneself, leaving behind the distractions ("LP collections, films ...."). Nature imagery is particularly strong in
the second verse: the "underground river" she feels is suggestive of deep emotion, and the way it is "forcing
its way" to the surface suggests an insight ("an acute angle of understanding") trying to break through. The
"deformed cliffs" and the "condemned scenery" could stand for the state of the relationship. These
descriptions convey the possibility of severe destruction.
Relationship:
Once again we get a relationship dissected - this is one of the more troubled ones. There is hope of an insight
(5), but the future might not involve the man - "more helpless/with you than without you". Here, while they
"meant to change", it doesn't seem to be working out that way, because he doesn't seem to relate to her
efforts to confront the problems. They are "up against it", but she just sees "EXIT" in his attitude (exit from
the relationship for him or her?).
Theme of Power:
The power issue arises, but ambiguously: "Your dry heat feels like power" - is this about oppression - her
feeling stifled? The destructiveness of the heat and power of a nuclear bomb might be similar, on a bigger
scale of course. Considering the overall thrust of the poem it's hardly emotional warmth, unless of a stifling
overprotective kind.
Tone
Tone-wise this is bleak - "deformed cliffs", "condemned scenery", "I feel more helpless", "you look at me
like an emergency". The most pleasant part of it is when she's referring to what they've left behind (3 rd verse
- "Jewish cookies ... afternoons on the riverbank"), but even this is soured by the "suicide notes", and
perhaps the naivety of "pretending to be children".

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Trying to Talk to a Man By Adrienne Rich

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Trying to Talk With a Man By Adrienne Rich Communication The title suggests that this is a key issue, and the rest of the poem bears this out. And of course the communication is seen in the context of a relationship, so most of what is said here can be said when discussing the theme of relationship also.

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Deception. An open essay . Write 3 A4 pages

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Essay on Deception journalistic article 

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Essay on Deception journalistic article 

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Lying to yourself-or self-deception, as psychologists call it-can actually have benefits. And nearly everybody does it, based on a growing body of research using new experimental techniques.

Self-deception isn't just lying or faking, but is deeper and more complicated, says Del Paulhus, psychology professor at University of British Columbia and author of a widely used scale to measure self-deceptive tendencies. It involves strong psychological forces that keep us from acknowledging a threatening truth about ourselves, he says.

Believing we are more talented or intelligent than we really are can help us influence and win over others, says Robert Trivers, an anthropology professor at Rutgers University and author of "The Folly of Fools," a 2011 book on the subject. An executive who talks himself into believing he is a great public speaker may not only feel better as he performs, but increase "how much he fools people, by having a confident style that persuades them that he's good," he says.

Researchers haven't studied large population samples to compare rates of self-deception or compared men and women, but they know based on smaller studies that it is very common. And scientists in many different disciplines are drawn to studying it, says Michael I. Norton, an associate professor at Harvard Business School. "It's also one of the most puzzling things that humans do."

Read the whole story: The Wall Street Journal

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Lying to yourself-or self-deception, as psychologists call it-can actually have benefits. And nearly everybody does it, based on a growing body of research using new experimental techniques. Self-deception isn't just lying or faking, but is deeper and more complicated, says Del Paulhus, psychology professor at University of British Columbia and author of a widely used scale to measure self-deceptive tendencies.

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Most of us use the internet acronym LOL to mean "laugh out loud". But in US political circles, where campaign strategists are supposed to have superpowers, it stands for "lie or lose" - the public doesn't like the truth, and those who flirt with telling it don't stand a chance.

There is no such thing as an outright political lie. Instead there's distortion, exaggeration, misrepresentation, deception, half-truth and overstatement. The assumption is that the risk is worth it. Hubris and narcissism mean the consequences of a politician getting caught are outweighed - they think - by the benefits of telling voters what they want to hear. They know we seek support for our preconceived notions, and avoid information that challenges established views.

Strategists assume voters have an almost infant-like response to lies, believing that if something isn't true it won't be repeated. So the most effective political lies are repeated again and again. Say something often enough and people will begin believing it.

As the frontline battle in most democratic politics centres on winning, lie or lose is a common theme. Ask Sir John Chilcot. He's spent six years and £10m on a complex LOL puzzle involving Tony Blair and the Iraq war.

Deciphering, or even defining, a political lie doesn't usually fall to a court. But now and again the law makes an effort to help out. Just before May's election, Alistair Carmichael, then Scottish Secretary, authorised his special adviser, Euan Roddin, to leak a memo claiming that the SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, secretly preferred David Cameron remaining in Downing Street to Labour winning power. Reports of a conversation between the Scottish First Minister and the French ambassador, Sylvie Bermann, were quickly dismissed as untrue by both sides but nevertheless undermined Ms Sturgeon's claim that she wanted a "progressive alliance" with other left-leaning parties.

Mr Carmichael first denied he'd leaked, but when the net closed in on him and his adviser he fessed up. Although he won the Liberal Democrats their only seat in Scotland, there was a legitimate question to be asked: did the lie mean he had misled voters enough to merit defenestration? Last week two judges in Edinburgh ruled that Mr Carmichael had indeed told a "blatant lie" - but the pair were also satisfied that the MP made the false statement of fact "for the purpose of affecting (positively) his own return at the election".

In 1988, during the US presidential race, George Bush Senior said: "Read my lips, no new taxes." Most economists in the Treasury knew that was probably a classic lie or lose exercise, and Mr Bush believed the White House would be his if he simply told America what it wanted to hear. Likewise, Mr Carmichael acknowledged that he thought it would be "politically beneficial" to leak the memo. In other words, at this particular LOL crossroads he opted for a survival technique yet to be explored by Bear Grylls: he lied. Should we be disappointed? Yes. Should we be angry? Of course. Should we be surprised? No. The former Cabinet Secretary, Robert Armstrong, once defined a lie as a "straight untruth". Alan Clark, in the Matrix Churchill case in 1988, famously rephrased a Whitehall term with "economical with the actualité".

The primary role of the Fourth Estate, the media, is to act as a lie detector, and that - more than courts - acts as a deterrent to politicians. Do papers behave? Not always. Russia had a century of Pravda - that means "truth" in English.

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Lie or lose? Deception has become a political survival technique

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Most of us use the internet acronym LOL to mean "laugh out loud". But in US political circles, where campaign strategists are supposed to have superpowers, it stands for "lie or lose" - the public doesn't like the truth, and those who flirt with telling it don't stand a chance.

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Published on

This is a collaborative Slideshow prepare by three sixth pupil On Adrienne Rich.

Lorna Cudmore, Gavin Brady and Hannah Armstrong studied the poetry of Adrienne Rich as part of their L.C. Course.

1. 1. Adrienne RichTHE UNCLE SPEAKS IN THE DRAWING ROOM GAVIN BRADY/LORNA CUDMORE/HANNAH ARMSTRONG

2. 2. Theme Conflict A prevalent theme of The Uncle Speaks In The Drawing Room is conflict. This is represented in the tension between these two disparate classes. Their rivalry is a cyclical occurence that is ever present in societies throughout the world Rich wishes to convey this in showing that there will continuously be have and have not classes throughout our nations. The public unrest of the 'sullen mob' is contrasted with the oppulent surroundings of the drawing room. This is the main source of the conflict, as the less fortunate classes see an unfairness between them and 'The Uncle'

3. 3. Theme Power This theme is dominant in this poem as we can observe Uncle's aristocratic power over the lower classes. In his eyes power is money and those who are without it are to be looked down upon. He is gazing down upon the 'sullen mob' with an air of contempt for them The fact that he is looking down on them, comes with both a literal and symbolic meaning

4. 4. Theme  Liberation from Tradition  Within this poem, the 'sullen mob' are aiming to begin a revolution against the unfair recurrence of adverse classes.  They are taking action. They stand in the courtyard savagely waiting for revenge  The Uncle, evidently a man of tradition, wishes to avoid this uprising and tries his utmost to reassure his colleagues and family that 'our kind' will not be harmed in this petty attempt of enmity.

5. 5. Symbolism  Men  Men are represented in each of Rich's poems as a strong, authoritative force in charge  We see the Uncle in charge of the household, the only thing that stands between the dead glass-blowers and murmurings of missile- throwers

6. 6. Symbolism Power Can Equal Weakness The 'glass bowls' and 'chandelier' and all of the precious items the higher class own are fragile and show the fragility of the upper class lives. This is their only weakness is 'these treasures, handed down from a calmer age' passed down through the family. If they lose their wealth, they will have nothing and their power in society will be void. They are threatened by the lower class on the verge of an uprising. Rich uses these symbols to focus on the power they had, and how people in power can always be overcome by the weaker.

7. 7. Symbolism  No Ultimate Control  Rich uses outside forces to show how vulnerable, weak and basically powerless humans can be. In The Uncle Speaks in the Drawing Room', we see how the external force is the 'missile throwers', the lower class who are starting a revolt. The upper class people can do nothing to defer them; they must simply wait it out in their houses with 'window, balcony, and gate'. Their wealth and riches can do little for them against the physical strength of the lower class, who are willing to fight for their freedom. The Uncle who is speaking is trying to prepare the family from the oncoming storm, but it isn't within his power to control or predict it. This shows the fact that no one has complete power, no one can control everything.

8. 8. Common Ideaso Dominant role of men in society - The cardinal motif in so many of Rich's poems is prevalent once again in 'The Uncle Speaks in the Drawing Room'. Only men are mentioned throughout the poem which deals with the friction between the upper and lower classes, giving an effective synopsis of the view at the time that women were not, and should not, be involved in politics.

9. 9. Common Ideas - Rising up Against Oppression Being such an influential idea in Rich's personal life, rising up against oppression made its way into her poetry time and again. 'The Uncle Speaks in the Drawing Room is an ideal example of this. The mob 'standing sullen in the square' wish to rebel against the wealthy man on his 'balcony', and succeed in inspiring fear in him for his possessions and the 'frailties of glass'.

10. 10.  Fear The fear of the other classes and of the oppressed usurping power in the upper classes in particular is prevailing in this poem, while fear itself is a frequently recurring subject matter in the poetry of Adrienne Rich. The Uncle fears for his 'crystal vase and chandelier' should 'missiles.. Be cast'. This trope can also be seen in 'Aunt Jennifer's Tigers' for example in the 'terrified hands' of Aunt Jennifer herself.

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Published on This is a collaborative Slideshow prepare by three sixth pupil On Adrienne Rich. Lorna Cudmore, Gavin Brady and Hannah Armstrong studied the poetry of Adrienne Rich as part of their L.C. Course. 1. Adrienne RichTHE UNCLE SPEAKS IN THE DRAWING ROOM GAVIN BRADY/LORNA CUDMORE/HANNAH ARMSTRONG 2.

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This is chapter in CBSE 12th class. This PPt contains elaborate information of chapter.

1. 1. -ADRIENNE RICH

2. 2. ADRIENNE RICH

3. 3. 4. Yellow (bright topaz) 5. green 6. Embroidery- 7. Aunt (last stanza) -

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Published on This is chapter in CBSE 12th class. This PPt contains elaborate information of chapter. 1. -ADRIENNE RICH 2. ADRIENNE RICH 3. 4. Yellow (bright topaz) 5. green 6. Embroidery- 7. Aunt (last stanza) -

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English powerpoint aunt jennifer's tigers

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by the bog of cats single text notes and comparative

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by the bog of cats single text notes and comparative

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Stereotypical grouchy old woman who is protective over her son Laura Feminism Str Hester Swane, the main protgonist of this play, is being forced out of her home due to her separation with Carthage, who is now marrying another woman; Caroline. Other characters such as Mrs

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The By the Bog of Cats Community Note includes chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you.

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"By the Bog of Cats" is a tragic play about a woman who suffered abandonment and rejection and became imprisoned by her past resulting in the death of her brother and child. The play is a wild merciless mix of Irish folklore and Greek mythology.

Below are some highlights from the notes.

Theme of motherhood

This is probably the most tragic aspect of the play.

Big Josie failed in her maternal duty to look after Hester, leaving her chained to a caravan in a dirty nappy and having her sleep in a swan's nest, ultimately abandoning her. She also left Joseph.

There is no doubt that Hester suffered tremendous abuse as a child. Unfortunately, it enabled certain self-destructive tendencies of her own. When we meet her, she is no longer the helpless, abandoned seven year old; she is a fully-fledged forty year old woman who could defy the most intimidating of men, like Xavier. Yet she clings to the idea that she's somehow not complete without her mother's love causing tragedy for her brother and daughter.

What can be said of a mother that slits her own child's throat? Her motivation was to alleviate the child's suffering of not having a mother and, to a lesser extent, withhold Josie from Carthage. It's not quite as selfish as Medea's motivation, but it shows that Hester was tragically unable to deal with her own emotions.

Symbolism

The bog symbolises a connection with nature and ancient times, mystery and danger.

The black swan symbolises Hester's uniqueness, wildness and darkness. It's emphasises the idea that she doesn't belong with the rest of the characters and they won't accept her because she's different.

The caravan/house dichotomy symbolises Hester's inner struggle.

The fishing knife symbolises her evil side.

Hester's wedding dress symbolises her broken dreams.

What question could come up for single text on the Leaving Cert?

1. "Hester's attitudes and qualities show that she is a conflicted character."

Do you agree with the above view? Support your answer by reference to the play, By the Bog of Cats.

2. By the Bog of Cats has been described as a feminist adaptation of a Greek myth.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this description of the play? In your response you should deal with all aspects of the statement, supporting your answer with reference to the text. (This is a tough one. Something this specific is unlikely to come up. But if it does!...)

3. "Carr makes effective use of both Xavier and Carthage to fulfil a variety of dramatic functions in his play, By the Bog of Cats."

Discuss this statement, supporting your answer with reference to the text.

4. "Xavier and Hester share a variety of character traits that contribute to the dramatic and tragic aspects of the story."

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Support your answer with reference to the play, By the Bog of Cats.

5. "Carr's effective use of a range of contrasts helps to create a darkly fascinating world in the course of her play, By the Bog of Cats."

Discuss this statement, supporting your answer with reference to the play.

6. "Carr explores the theme of identity in a variety of ways throughout the play, By the Bog of Cats."

Discuss this statement, supporting your answer with reference to the play.

7. "Hester Swane is an admirable character in the play, By the Bog of Cats."

Discuss this statement, supporting your answer with reference to the text.

8. "Throughout the play, By the Bog of Cats, Carr uses a variety of techniques to engage her readers and provide critical commentary on the society of the play."

Discuss this view of the play, supporting your answer with suitable reference to the text. (This is answered in the notes.)

9. "Hester's relationships with other characters can be seen primarily as power struggles which prove crucial to the outcome of the play."

Discuss the above statement in relation to at least two of Hester's relationships with other characters. Support your answer with suitable reference to the play, By the Bog of Cats.

10. "Throughout the play, By the Bog of Cats, Carr makes effective use of a variety of dramatic techniques that evoke a wide range of responses from the audience."

Discuss this view with reference to at least two dramatic techniques used by Carr in the play. Support your answer with suitable reference to the text.

A black swan. Many thanks to Jennifer Tunny for the original image taken in Queensland, Australia, where black swans are native.

Martina has written detailed notes on By the Bog of Cats (10,000 words, 31 A4 pages). Please see full details below:
Contents
Your Own Approach to Literary Criticism
Hester and Carthage
Hester's relationship with her mother
Hester as a villain
Hester killing Josie

Carthage, "faithless as an acorn on a high wind"

Josie, the daughter: "I drank biled socks instead of tay"

The Catwoman: "Curses only have the power ya allow them."

Xavier: "I'll run you too like a frightened hare"

Mrs Kilbride "didn't frig it away on crame buns and blouses"

Caroline: "only I feel like I'm walkin' on somewan's grave"

Foreboding, mystery and magic

Discrimination and societal hypocrisy

Gender roles: "ya can't control a mere woman"

Land: "There's nothin' besides land, boy, nothin'!"

Social status: "the whole neighbourhood makin' a laughin' stock of me?"
General Vision and Viewpoint
Opening scene and setting

Evolution of the GVV throughout the text

Foreboding, mystery and magic
What could be on the paper?
The essay: "Throughout the play, By the Bog of Cats, Carr uses a variety of techniques to engage her readers and provide critical commentary on society."

7 euro

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By the Bog of Cats by Marina Carr for Leaving Cert English (Single Text and Comparative)

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"By the Bog of Cats" is a tragic play about a woman who suffered abandonment and rejection and became imprisoned by her past resulting in the death of her brother and child. The play is a wild merciless mix of Irish folklore and Greek mythology. Below are some highlights from the notes.

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By the Bog of Cats is an exemplar of the use of foreshadowing.The play manages to compound tragedy and fate in just twelve short hours. An analytical glance reveals layer after layer of literary devices in the play. The plot is profound and political.

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presentation on character, theme and more on Brooklyn

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presentation on character, theme and more on Brooklyn

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Brooklyn
Exploring
Characters,
Themes
&
Ideas. Narrating
Migration & Transgression Grief and Loss Losing Ireland Losing Rose Losing Tony Patriarchy and Power:
Father Flood Migration Eilis as a Transgressor Narrative form in 'Brooklyn' Personal Identity National Identity Narrating
Identity 'As she turned and looked at her sister, Eilis wanted to suggest that they change places, that Rose, so ready for life, always making new friends, would be happier going to America, just as Eilis wold be quite content to stay at home.' p. 30 '"Brooklyn changes everyday," Miss Bartocci said as Father Flood nodded. "New people arrive and they could be Jewish or Irish or Polish or even coloured... We welcome every single person who comes into this store. They all have money to spend."' p. 59 > Outline the genres in 'Brooklyn'. "She tried to work out how she had come to believe also that, whilst people from the town who lived in England missed Enniscorthy, no one who went to America missed home. Instead they were happy there and proud." pp. 24 'In all the outrages that could be committed by the lodgers, this had never been mentioned as a possibility... It was in the realm of the unthinkable.' pp. 187-188 "'There's a lot of giddiness in the house at the moment,' Mrs Kehoe said...
'It's the dancing is doing it to them,' Eilis said drily.
'Well, I'm going to ask Father Flood to preach a sermon on the evils of giddiness,' Mrs Kehoe said." p. 132 'Every day she had come back to this small room in this house full of sounds and gone over everything new that had happened... Now, all that seemed like nothing compared to the picture she had of home, of her own room, the house in Friary Street, the food she had eaten there, the clothes she wore, how quiet everything was.' p. 66 '...she felt that she was being held by someone wounded, that the letter had somehow, in its tone, made clear to him what had really happened and made plain to him also that she belonged somewhere else, a place that he could never know." p. 184 > Describe the idealised preconceptions Eilis' holds about life in America. > Discuss Eilis' comparison of work and wealth for migrants in England in contrast with the Irish in America. > Explain the social role Father Flood plays within Brooklyn's migrant community? >Describe the difference in power and influence between Father Flood and Tony over Eilis' life. "'You cannot work here if you're sad. And of course you're sad if you're not with your mother for the first time in your life."' p. 73 > Discuss the reality of Eilis' experience as an Irish migrant working in Brooklyn. >Discuss the moral codes Eilis has broken by sleeping with Tony; to whom is she answerable? 'As soon as she saw Tony that evening she told him that they would both have to go to confession.' p. 189 >Explain the way the actions of Eilis and Tony have positioned them as transgressors within the Brooklyn community. >Discuss the literary conventions Toibin has used in his text? >Explore the retrospective nature of the text. Does the text capture a realistic illustration of a young Irish migrant woman in the 1950's? >Compare Eilis' ideas of America prior to leaving Ireland, with the reality she was experiencing in this passage. > Discuss the culture of Brooklyn, as described by Miss Bartocci, in relation to Eilis experiences of national identity in Enniscorthy. '"You're suitcase is all wrong, but there's nothing we can do about that."
"What's wrong with it?"
"It's too Irish and they stop the Irish?" > How does Georgina 'other' Eilis?
>What effect does this have on Eilis whilst she travels? > Why does Rose's death highlight the distance and difference between Tony and Eilis? 'Eilis passed the door of Rose's room and thought to enter, to look for the last time at the place where her sister had died, but, although she stopped outside for a second and lowered her eyes in a sort of reverence, she did not open the door.' p. 251 > Discuss the finality of the way in which Eilis' will lose Rose as she leaves for Brooklyn the second time. > Explore Eilis' emotional journey through Rose's death. Draw upon other passages as needed. > Why does Eilis idealise her memories of home at this time? > Discuss the ideas of nostaliga and a utopian past in relation to this passage. > Why does Eilis differentiate herself from her sister in this passage?
>What does it demonstrate to the reader about her own self-concept?

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Narrating Migration & Transgression Grief

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Brooklyn ExploringCharacters,Themes&Ideas. Narrating Migration & Transgression Grief and Loss Losing Ireland Losing Rose Losing Tony Patriarchy and Power:Father Flood Migration Eilis as a Transgressor Narrative form in 'Brooklyn' Personal Identity National Identity Narrating Identity 'As she turned and looked at her sister, Eilis wanted to suggest that they change places, that Rose, so ready for life, always making new friends, would be happier going to America, just as Eilis wold be quite content to stay at home.'

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' Brooklyn' - directed by John Crowley Setting: Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford & Brooklyn, New York Time period: Early 1950s Genre: ...

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The Brooklyn Community Note includes chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you.

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Analyse the meaning in the lyrics, what is your response to the song

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Analyse the meaning in the lyrics, what is your response to the song

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study questions on the poem Sport by Durcan discuss in class complete at home. 1-9

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study questions on the poem Sport by Durcan discuss in class complete at home. 1-9

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Leaving cert & Junior cert Exam Revision | Studyclix makes exams easier

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Leaving Cert and Junior Cert exam paper questions and marking schemes listed by topic. Studyclix makes exam revision and study easier

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notes on the novel The spinning heart

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Even though Bobby struggles with a feeling of uselessness due to the loss of his job, he is still generous and kind towards other people in his community. This can be seen when the people of the town, including Sergeant Jim, don't turn on him despite his arrest for Frank's

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Interview with Donal Ryan author.

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The Booktopia Book Guru asks award-winning author of The Spinning Heart

Ten Terrifying Questions
--------1. To begin with why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself - where were you born? Raised? Schooled?

I was born in a village in Tipperary called Newtown, near the town of Nenagh. We moved to town when I was nine. I went to school in Youghalarra National School and St. Joseph's Christian Brothers School, Nenagh.
2. W hat did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why? 3. What strongly held belief did you have at eighteen that you do not have now? 4. What were three works of art - book or painting or piece of music, etc - you can now say, had a great effect on you and influenced your own development as a writer?
5. Considering the innumerable artistic avenues open to you, why did you choose to write a novel? 6. Pl(FROM THE PUBLISHER: In the aftermath of Ireland's financial collapse, dangerous tensions surface in an Irish town. As violence flares, the characters face a battle between public persona and inner desires. Through a chorus of unique voices, each struggling to tell their own kind of truth, a single authentic tale unfolds. The Spinning Heart speaks for contemporary Ireland like no other novel. Wry, vulnerable, all-too human, it captures the language and spirit of rural Ireland and with uncanny perception articulates the words and thoughts of a generation. Technically daring and evocative of Patrick McCabe and J.M. Synge, this novel of small-town life is witty, dark and sweetly poignant. Donal Ryan's brilliantly realized debut announces a stunning new voice in literary fiction.)7. What do you hope people take away with them after reading your work?
8. 9. Many artists set themselves very ambitious goals. What are yours? 10. What advice do you give aspiring writers? Donal, thank you for playing. Whom do you most admire in the realm of writing and why? ease tell us about your latest novel.
I've only ever wanted to be a writer. It goes back so far that I'm not even sure why. When I started reading, I just knew. Other things tried to muscle it out sporadically: rock star, pilot, racing driver, none of them stuck.

I firmly believed at eighteen that I knew everything and had all the answers. If everyone just listened to me the world would be perfect. That belief started to waver shortly afterwards; by nineteen it was gone completely.

Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl got me hooked on reading; The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer convinced me that I wanted to be a writer; Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck showed me what perfection was.

There really weren't innumerable artistic avenues open to me - I'm only any good at writing novels! And maybe short stories. My wife liked them anyway.

The Spinning Heart is constructed as 21 linked monologues, set over the summer of 2010 in an Irish village. Each character tells their own story while adding a little information about a murder and kidnap that take place.

I hope they enjoy reading it. I think there's light behind the bleakness, and a warmth in the characters that transcends the cold place they find themselves in. It might make some readers look a little harder for the truth in people's words.

I hate to list people I admire; there are so many for a start, and I think the word 'most' can be simultaneously positive and pejorative. David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas is probably the book that had the biggest effect on me in the last few years. But there are some unbelievable writers at work today - just in Ireland we have Kevin Barry, Mary Costello and Mike McCormack who produced three of the best collections of short stories last year that I've ever read; novelists like John Boyne, Sebastian Barry, Belinda McKeon whose books once started I could not leave out of my hand - I could fill pages with names of incredible writers. Growing up my literary heroes were almost all American: Salinger, Hemingway, Mailer and Steinbeck, maybe only because my parents had their complete works!

My goal is reset each time I start writing something: to finish what I'm writing and to make it as good as I can.

Don't have too much or too little self-belief. Buy a book on grammar. Get it down on the page as it comes to you but always, always go back and fix it. And lastly, finish what you started. I spent twenty years not taking that advice.

About the Contributor

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Donal Ryan, author of The Spinning Heart, answers Ten Terrifying Questions - The Booktopian

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The Booktopia Book Guru asks Donal Ryan award-winning author of The Spinning Heart Ten Terrifying Questions -------- 1. To begin with why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself - where were you born? Raised? Schooled? I was born in a village in Tipperary called Newtown, near the town of Nenagh.

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Describes and connects the various narrators of Donal Ryan's novel, The Spinning Heart.

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language of argument and persuasion, go vegan

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language of argument and persuasion, go vegan

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HW list the main arguments to go vegan accoding to the speaker. from minute 11 approx, you can fast forward through each point.

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The Most Inspiring Speech You Will Ever Hear

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“The play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King.” (II.ii,633-634) Speaker: Hamlet Speaking to whom: First Player Context: Hamlet is giving actors advice on how to present the lines Meaning: Reflecting renaissance idea that drama should present an image of real

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As mentioned previously you have to consider your audience and how to write to them when considering your answer for the Part B and Composition sections. However, while you do so there is another requirement; when you write about topics in a certain register to your audience you also must communicate such in one of five language genres, either writing aesthetically, argumentatively, persuasively, informatively, or narratively. While such langauge genres will be focused on later it is essential to know their functions so as to identify if a question is asking you to write in a certain language genre. These genres, and the way they are written can be difficult to understand for non-Native speakers, which is why we advise using a website such as the Effortless English Club to brush up on your skills. There are other ways that you can learn language though. Some people prefer to go study abroad, or do something like become an au pair. If this is something that interests you then you can check out something like this Cultural Care Au Pair, as this will give you a better idea of how you can apply for this sort of role and what you can expect from it. Obviously, becoming an au pair is a big commitment though, so if you have the spare time and are interested in doing something like that to get better with language then go for it. If, however, you prefer to learn in your own free time then you should just do that instead. You might find it easy enough to learn language genres at home anyway. The language genres can be considered in basic form as follows:

Aesthetic - the description of feelings and happenings

Narrative - telling a (short) story

Argumentative - a debate or conflict of ideas

Persuasive - persuading someone of something

Informative - informing someone of something

Below is a more in-depth focus on what each genre is used for:

Informative, persuasive and argumentative language

The informative, persuasive and argumentative language genres can be grouped together as they involve direct interaction with an audience. This resource will focus on introducing these genres and the purposes they serve.

How are the informative, persuasive and argumentative languages linked?

In these language genres there is, as said, direct interaction with an audience. The names of the three language genres reveal their functions, which confirms their interactive states; informative language is used to inform, persuasive language is used to persuade, while argumentative language is used to argue or debate, all of which need another party to be performed. Below we shall look at these language genres and the different ways they interact with another party. A useful way to consider the differences between the three is the level of influence that is used for each genre.

Informative language

Informative language, as said, is used to inform another party of something. Here there is no attempt to influence whatsoever; when using informative language one is conveying information, but there is no attempt to force it on the recipient so as for them to accept this as valid.

Persuasive language

Whereas with informative language you simply convey information without any attempt to influence another, with persuasive language there is some attempt to influence the party you are talking to. However this is only a gentle attempt to influence, which shows a recognition that you are trying to persuade this party to adopt your way of thinking but also that it is their choice whether or not to do so.

Argumentative language

Whereas persuasive language seeks to convince but recognizes it is the person's choice to decide, argumentative language offers no choice. Rather, this language genre attempts to force another party to adopt a way of thinking by not only stressing the validity of this train of thought but also dismissing the party's current opinion. You will need this type of language primarily when writing an argumentative essay. Although, you could just go on a essay help site like edupeet and save yourself the trouble.

Narrative and aesthetic language:

Narrative language

Narrative language tells a story using the fourfold method of introduction, complication, climax and conclusion. However this genre does not just tell a story; an important element of narrative language is also descriptive language as you must also show an audience how the story you tell occurs.

Aesthetic language

Aesthetic language is linked to narrative language as it describes an event that occurs. It does not need to use the aforementioned narrative structure to describe an event but it makes heavy use of descriptive language to show how the event you are describing plays out. In addition, an important element of aesthetic language (which differentiates it from narrative language) is that the subject/ narrator of aesthetic language reveals their opinion, experience and emotions regarding the events they are describing; this is as important an element in aesthetic language as the describing of the event, whereas in narrative language the priority is the telling of the story and how it happens.

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Different Language Genres - English Composition Guide

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As mentioned previously you have to consider your audience and how to write to them when considering your answer for the Part B and Composition sections. However, while you do so there is another requirement; when you write about topics in a certain register to your audience you also must...

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Deception and Corruption in Shakespeare's Hamlet

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'The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.' In truth, Hamlet's whole world is built Despite all this, Hamlet is in some respects unfailingly blunt, and sometimes cruel. He spends much of the play making snarky asides, and often makes fun of people, using

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quotes on deception and corruption in Hamlet

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quotes on deception and corruption in Hamlet

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Everything you ever wanted to know about the quotes talking about Lies and Deceit in Hamlet, written by experts just for you.

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Discuss this statement, supporting your answer with suitable reference to the play, Hamlet.

The more I explore Shakespeare's work, the more I am convinced that he had more wisdom in 1616 than we have managed to accumulate since. The lesson I derive from Shakespeare's exploration of madness in Hamlet is that sometimes one just has to fight fire with fire. It is how Hamlet's (probably) deliberate manipulative portrayal of madness exposed the falseness and hypocrisy of Elsinore that fascinates me most. This essay argues that Hamlet's madness, whether feigned or real, lasting or temporary, reveals additional layers to the complexity of the character in Shakespeare's tragedy. The question of whether Hamlet's madness is genuine has been widely debated among scholarly critics. There is ample evidence throughout the play to suggest that at times, a fully sane Hamlet is completely aware that he is engaging in an ' antic disposition' as part of his plan to outwit Claudius and avenge the murder of his father. However, there are other times when the audience must be questioning the mental stability of Hamlet as he most certainly goes beyond the requirements of an 'antic disposition'. [For your own clarity - the phrase "antic disposition" is open to interpretation. It most likely means Hamlet wanted to come across like he is mad without actually being mad.]
[This essay is about 1.5 times longer than what you are expected to produce in the exam].
From the moment the audience meets Hamlet, he balks against falseness: 'I know not 'seems.". Hamlet is disgusted by the falseness of Elsinore, but falseness is at the core of his 'antic disposition' and his plan to avenge his father's death. His projected madness therefore encourages the audience to explore the fact that Hamlet is himself being hypocritical. However, he is honest with Gertrude in relation to his madness when he reveals 'I essentially am not in madness, but mad in craft'. He also reveals to Guildenstern and Rosencrantz that he is 'but mad north-north-west'. [meaning he is only mad sometimes]

Hamlet's mental state has to be questioned in the immediate aftermath of his meeting with the Ghost. Horatio describes Hamlet as uttering 'wild and whirling words'. Given that Prince Hamlet has just seen and listened to the Ghost reveal the details of King Hamlet's murder, it is hardly surprising that he is somewhat beside himself. Therefore, even before Hamlet reveals his plan to feign madness by adopting an 'antic disposition', he is already acting erratically, suggesting that he is progressing towards a degree of genuine mental instability.

The time interval between the end of Act 1 and the beginning of Act 2 subjects Hamlet to increasing mental torture. He is mourning his father and writhing in disgust at his mother's hasty marriage to the man who has been revealed by the Ghost to be his father's murderer. Adding to this stress, Hamlet has been rejected by Ophelia. Her description of Hamlet suggests that he is genuinely in mental distress 'with a look so piteous in purport as if he had been loosed out of hell'. It would be relatively easy for Hamlet to feign madness with erratic speech and behaviour. However, to conjure up a hellish appearance as described by Ophelia would suggest genuine mental torture. Despite Laertes' and Polonius' doubts about the genuineness of Hamlet's love, it is likely to be the case that Hamlet truly loved Ophelia. At her funeral, Hamlet claims that the love of 'forty thousand brothers' could not have equaled the feeling he had for Ophelia. Therefore, the one positive aspect of Hamlet's life was denied to him at the height of his need for compassion. It is therefore a fascinating conundrum for the audience as to the genuineness of Hamlet's madness at this point in the play.

Image credit: Savva Brodsky

Hamlet's displays of madness have not escaped the residents of Elsinore. Claudius speaks of ' Hamlet's transformation'; Gertrude speaks of her ' too much changed son' while Polonius notes that her ' noble son is mad'. However, in conversation with Hamlet, Polonius notes: ' Though this be madness, yet there is method in't' and ' How pregnant sometimes his replies are!' These characters express their own differing opinions on Hamlet's state of mind, and the reasons they perceive for his apparent madness. Polonius believes the cause to be his daughter and ' neglected love'. Gertrude recognises the death of King Hamlet and her own hasty re-marriage to be contributory factors. Claudius debates Polonius' love proposition: ' Love? His affections do not that way tend, nor what he spake, though it lacked form a little, was not like madness'.[meaning Love? His feelings don't move in that direction. And his words, although they were a little disorganized, weren't crazy.] The contradictory reasons for Hamlet's madness proposed by his contemporaries, together with the audience's knowledge of the 'antic disposition' present them with a fascinating scenario.

If Hamlet is merely acting insane, he is presenting an excellent portrayal of insanity as Ophelia begs of the heavens to [ 'restore him!' What is fascinating about the Nunnery Scene is that in order for Hamlet to simply portray insanity, there is no requirement for him to be so cruel and heartless with Ophelia. Presumably, he still loves Ophelia despite his abhorrence at his mother's actions and his extension of this frailty to all womankind. Hamlet's madness allows him to fascinate the audience with his outbursts that would not be feasible, plausible or realistic from the mouth of a man presumed sane, putting curses on and disowning Ophelia: ' Go to, I'll no more on 't. It hath made me mad. I say, we will have no more marriages'meaning Come on, I won't stand for it anymore. It's driven me crazy. I hereby declare we will have no more marriage.]

It is clear from Act 3 Scene 2 that any insanity possessing Hamlet has disappeared, thus giving credence to the theory that Hamlet's exhibited state of mind in the Nunnery Scene was part of his 'antic disposition'. Hamlet possesses the sanity to direct the players and to speak sensibly to Horatio. It is noticeable that Hamlet falls into insanity mode as soon as Claudius and Gertrude appear for the play. As he says to Horatio: ' They are coming ... I must be idle'. At the end of this scene, Hamlet says referring to his mother: ' I will speak daggers to her'. This verbal pronouncement provides further evidence that Hamlet's tirade of verbal abuse toward Ophelia was not the consequence of temporary insanity at all but merely the exposition of his planned 'antic disposition'. The audience therefore, through the channel of 'antic disposition', becomes aware of an inner cruelty within Hamlet that conflicts with the image of him as a 'noble mind' and loved by the people. Perhaps, Claudius was right when he described the populace as ' the distracted multitude '. All of this adds to the complexity of Hamlet's character, leading to additional debate and fascination for the audience.

Hamlet: Lady, shall I lie in your lap? Ophelia: No, my lord. Hamlet:I mean, my head in your lap? Ophelia: Ay, my lord. Image credit: Savva Brodsky

Hamlet's madness allows for a series of dialogues between himself and Polonius that illustrate the falseness of the court of Elsinore. The falseness of Polonius is highlighted by their discussion regarding the shape of a cloud. Polonius agrees with any shape Hamlet will assign to the cloud, whether it be a ' camel', ' weasel', or ' whale'. We see Hamlet indulge in the same revelation of falseness in the course of his conversation regarding the weather with Osric who agrees that it is both hot and cold. Similarly, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are victims of Hamlet's ridicule. Therefore, the madness of Hamlet also fascinates the audience because it provides an additional means for the falseness of Elsinore to be exposed.

If Hamlet is at times actually suffering from temporary insanity, this is certainly not the case as he stands over Claudius after the play. Hamlet sanely ponders over the injustice of sending Claudius' soul to heaven while King Hamlet's soul purges. At the very beginning of Act 3 Scene 3, Claudius refers to Hamlet's madness and the insecurity of letting it roam freely. It is ironic therefore that in this scene if Hamlet had been genuinely mad he would not have philosophised and waited for a more revengeful moment to murder Claudius. He would not have had the ability to rationalise and conclude that ' this is hire and salary, not revenge '. Therefore, while it has been argued that Hamlet's insanity enhances the fascination of his character for the audience, it is also the case that many aspects of Hamlet like his philosophising would have proved fascinating even if he was presenting himself as sane throughout the play.

The final scene reveals a Hamlet much altered from earlier in the play. This could be a consequence of his 'antic disposition': he got accustomed to a different frame of reference. His description to Horatio of how he dealt with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern suggests that he no longer has to grapple with his conscience: ' They are not near my conscience'. This is in sharp contrast to Hamlet's earlier declaration that ' Conscience does make cowards of us all '. The change in Hamlet's character provides a further point of fascination for the audience.

In conclusion, the adoption of an 'antic disposition' allows Hamlet to expose and deride those at Elsinore who live by falseness, pretence and hypocrisy. This approach is full of both irony and tragedy, causing damage to all involved. It appears that Hamlet's madness was a game of sorts, but it transformed him. This in turn allows the audience to witness deeper layers to not only Hamlet but all of the inhabitants of Elsinore.

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Discuss this statement, supporting your answer with suitable reference to the play, Hamlet. The more I explore Shakespeare's work, the more I am convinced that he had more wisdom in 1616 than we have managed to accumulate since. The lesson I derive from Shakespeare's exploration of madness in Hamlet is that sometimes one just has to fight fire with fire.

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How to plan an essay " Hamlet Study Guide from Crossref-it.info

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More on an example discussing Hamlet's madness i): For example, suppose that you have been asked to discuss whether or not Hamlet is really mad.

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Hamlet

What's Up with Hamlet?

Hamlet is a teenager... right? After all, he sure acts like one. He's a moody and smart-alecky kid with suicidal tendencies, a penchant for wearing black mourning clothes, and a habit of delivering long, drawn-out speeches on the futility of life. But in Act 5, Scene 1, the gravedigger pretty much tells us he's thirty. Thirty?! Well, not everyone agrees on this point-and Shmoop just can't seem to picture him as an adult. He's just too darn dramatic.

In his first soliloquy, he tells us he wishes his "too, too sullied flesh would melt / Thaw, and resolve itself into dew" and that the world seems "weary, stale, flat," like an "unweeded garden (1.2.133-134; 137; 139). Pretty intense stuff, right? And he's got some pretty intense problems: it turns out his father, Old King Hamlet, died less than two months ago, so Hamlet's feeling the loss. To make matters worse, his mother, Gertrude, has already remarried and is now the wife of Hamlet's uncle, Claudius, who's also helped himself to the Danish crown. (Did we mention that Hamlet's new stepdad also calls him a wimp for being sad about his father's death?)

And then a ghost claiming to be Old King Hamlet's spirit shows up, tells Hamlet that he was murdered by Hamlet's uncle/stepfather, and basically orders Hamlet to take revenge. Great! We can get behind a revenge tragedy-only that's not what happens. Instead, Hamlet pretends to be a madman, runs around delivering lengthy philosophical speeches, verbally abuses his girlfriend, stabs his girlfriend's father in the guts, and terrorizes his mother.

Hmm. Sounds more like an episode of Days of Our Lives than the greatest play in the history of the world. Yet, that's what makes Shakespeare's character (and the entire play) so bizarre -and so brilliant. Hamlet's complex psychological response to life and death, his mother's sexuality, and the implications of avenging his father's murder is like taking a psychological roller coaster ride.

Hamlet and Sex

So, you've probably noticed that Hamlet is seriously angry with his mother-especially her sex life. Here's what Hamlet says in his first soliloquy after he tells us he wants his "flesh" to "melt."

That it should come to this:
But two months dead-nay, not so much, not two.
So excellent a king, that was to this
Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother
That he might not beteem the winds of heaven
Visit her face too roughly. Heaven and Earth,
Must I remember? Why, she would hang on him
As if increase of appetite had grown
By what it fed on. And yet, within a month
(Let me not think on 't; frailty, thy name is woman!) (1.2.141-150)

OK, we get that Hamlet's ticked that mom's moved on so quickly -less than two months after his old man died. Fine. But here's the thing: Hamlet says he can hardly stand to "remember" the way his mother couldn't get enough of his father when he was alive -"she would hang on him" with a major sexual "appetite" that she seems to have simply transferred over to her new husband.

So what's the deal? Is he mad that Gertrude is into her new husband, or that Gertrude is into any man at all, including his dead dad? And check out that, by the end of this passage, Hamlet's attitude toward his mom has generously expanded to include all women, who, according to Hamlet, are "frail," or morally weak, because they're so lustful. But this also has major consequences for Hamlet's relationship with his girlfriend-it might even drive her all the way to her death. (You can check out our discussion of " Sex" and " Gender" if you want to know more about Hamlet's attitude toward women and sexuality in general.)

Hamlet and The Really Big Question

That's interesting and all, but, truth: there's only one big question we're really interested in. Why does Hamlet delay so long in carrying out his revenge? We (and scholar-types) have a few theories.

Theory #1: He doesn't believe the ghost.

The political and religious turmoil of the Protestant Reformation were only a few decades in the past when Hamlet was written, and these new Protestants had different views of Christianity than the previous ruling team, the Catholics. From what the ghost says, it sounds like he's coming from Purgatory, a sort of waiting room where souls chilled out before they could get to Heaven.

But Protestants denied the existence of Purgatory. This means the ghost may be a demon from hell, which is why Hamlet wonders if the spirit is a "goblin damned" (1.4.44). So what is Hamlet -Protestant or Catholic?

Protestant. Hamlet's chilling in Denmark, which is definitely Protestant nation, and he goes to the University of Wittenberg (where all the cool kids go), which was Martin Luther's university and also home to the church door he so famously nailed his theses to. This means the ghost could possibly be a devil that has come to tempt him and is, therefore, not telling the truth about Old Hamlet's murder.

Theory #2: Hamlet has some scruples.

There's a famous passage in the Christian Bible, from Romans, xii, 19: "Avenge not yourselves [...] vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord."

Translation: It's not man's place to take vengeance on anyone, period. That's God's job. Plus, everyone knows that murder is a sin. Shakespeare's inclusion of Christian morality doesn't necessarily square with the basic tenets of revenge tragedy, which calls for bloody vengeance. (See " Genre" for more on this.)

At work in Hamlet is also the notion of the old, pagan revenge code that says when someone kills your father, you have to get your revenge on. Which, of course, means that person's kid will eventually kill you, and so on and so on ad infinitum until everybody dies and entire families are wiped out. What does that mean? Hamlet is a Christian hero with a pagan duty. Pretty confusing, whether you're 13 or 30.

Theory #3: Hamlet stinks. Shakespeare stinks.

We're not kidding. Some people say that you can't answer the question of why Hamlet delays seeking revenge because there is no answer. Stop trying to preserve the play's integrity and/or psychological accuracy, because there isn't any to be preserved. Who thought this? Oh, just super famous author Voltaire. And super famous poet T. S. Eliot.

According to this school of thought, Hamlet is only "mysterious" to us because he's a poorly drawn dramatic figure. Shakespeare didn't give him enough of a motive to make any sense of his behavior. But remember from your lesson in Historical Context that there's a Renaissance crisis going on at the time: nothing is supposed to make sense. Around 1600, everyone's confused about religion, geography, and the state of the universe. If a play doesn't make sense... maybe it's not supposed to. Hamlet is full of contradictions, inconsistencies, and uncertainties -just like the rest of the world at the time.

Theory #4: Hamlet suffers from an Oedipus Complex

Some people believe Hamlet is, in some ways, a re-telling of Oedipus the King by Sophocles. Doesn't ring a bell? Oedipus was an ancient Greek king who, according to legend, was fated to kill his father and marry his mother. Fast-forward to the late 19th or early 20th century, and you've got Sigmund Freud going around talking about the "Oedipus Complex," which basically says every man wants to do what Oedipus did. Sure, Freud came around a few hundred years after Hamlet -but since Oedipus the King was written in the 400s B.C., it's safe to say that it's an old idea.

Bear with us on this for a minute. Let's say Hamlet does suffer from an Oedipus Complex. If this is true, then Claudius has done what Hamlet wants to do: kill King Hamlet (senior), and sleep with Gertrude. Hamlet can't kill Claudius, because secretly, he wants to be Claudius. If you want to add some weight to this theory, check out all those scenes where Hamlet displays a gnawing obsession with his mother's sexuality, down to the tiny details in his imaginings of her and Claudius getting it on. Also, think about it this way: if Claudius is in a way like Hamlet, then killing Claudius would be like killing himself. Revenge would be like suicide, which is why the two get so mixed-up, and why Hamlet has the same feelings about both.

When you put it like that, it sounds pretty convincing, right?

Regardless of what school of thought you subscribe to, there is no question that Hamlet is one of the most complex, compelling, and fascinating characters in literary history. Shakespeare created a hero whose inner thoughts and quandaries dominate the audience's experience of him... and literature hasn't been the same since.

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Hamlet is a teenager... right? After all, he sure acts like one. He's a moody and smart-alecky kid with suicidal tendencies, a penchant for wearing black mourning clothes, and a habit of delivering long, drawn-out speeches on the futility of life. But in Act 5, Scene 1, the gravedigger pretty much tells us he's thirty.